The girl who walked with giants
by MissIz
Summary: Addy, a girl with no particular talents finds her self in a very particular situation. The girl from the future gets thrown into the world of knights, crowns, farmboys and giants. What a mess. A Jack the giant slayer story! Elmont / OC.
1. Little miss Addy

Let me just.. begin by telling you that none of this mess was my fault. Mostly of it anyway.

My name is Addy Pitsman, nothing fancy. Just Addy. I know, who the hell calls their kid Addy? Not very mysterious and feminine is it? Bloody hell.

Anyway. My name is Addy. And I just woke up on the ground with my body twisted, and a mouth full with dirt. And by God. I wasn't in Texas anymore Toto.

How all this mess began I do not know. Hell, I think the last thing I remembered was that I was cycling from college back home and something hit me? I'm not that surprised, it's a very busy road. I'm studying to be a nurse, or at least trying to because I'm not doing too well. I was just on my way to cross a road, but I think there was some construction going on. I think a car might have hit me or something, because I felt something crashing into me. I might have blacked out. I don't remember too well because you know, just panicking about where the hell I am right now! Which is what I shall explain to you.

First things I notice: 1. I am lying face down in the dirt. 2. My head HURTS. 3. What the hell is going on?

Forcing my head to twist to the right I decided to take a peek. The light caused my eyes to close again, bloody headache. Slowly my eyes adjusted and I could make out the outline of leaves. I felt a breeze on my face and it was cold on my face. I don't know how long I just lied there, perhaps I was afraid I was missing body parts or was hurt in some way. But I finally had the guts to clench both my fists and trying to push myself into an upright position. The sound of rustling leaves filled my ears, just like the sound of my spine cracking. While my muscles are protesting I sit on the ground with knees in front of me.

I take in my surroundings. No cars. No sound. No roads. I am in the middle of a monstrous forest.

My mind still in overdrive I look myself over. Some scratches, a rip in my vest and covered in dirt. Turning my head, almost giving myself whiplash, I look left. Forest. Turning the other way. Forest. Turning in front of me. More forest. Looking behind me. Dirt and the edge of what seemed a like a cliff.

I stumbled to my feet and took a few cautious steps towards the edge. Don't get me wrong, I love forests. But I'm just a little… too creeped out to care at this moment. And the first thing I want do is find out where I am.

I think I just.. stared when I reached the end of the cliff. Because really: it was a dead flippin' end. It just stopped. I was on a floating land up in the skies. What the hell do you do now sweet Addy?

The sudden idea of being dead crossed my mind. Dead Addy. Doesn't have a nice ring to it. I decided then I should follow along the edge. Maybe I was transported from the past to the future, where people drove rocket ships and lived in the air or something. Space Addy. That does indeed sound a lot better.

Don't forget I was quite scared at the time, so I am leaving the 'looking around in fear' bits out which I did for quite some time by the way. As I walked along the edge, throwing random things off the cliff, I noticed something. There was an enormous beanstalk attached to the edge of the cliff.

.

..

…

…..

Must've been quite the tumble I had taken. I looked back at the forest and back at the stalk. I must be crazy.

I consider the possibility of climbing down before I heard the familiar hum of voices. And it was coming from the forest.

I remember turning and literally leaping towards the forest, taking big steps as I ran. Salvation! I was out of breath as I reached the point where I had heard the voices. Frantically I looked around me, thinking I had lost them. My fear only multiplied upon feeling something very sharp and incredibly cold near my neck. Firstly it had scared the oblivion out of me, so I have a very weird yelp. Secondly I noticed I had a sword under my chin. A freakin' sword.

Holy Mary mother of-

'Don't make a move young lady, or I'm afraid I will have to strike.'

Glancing towards the owner of the voice I held my hands up in surrender. I must have looked horrendous by the way, covered in dirt, hair an absolute mess, torn off sleeve and a few scrapes. A man just my height with dark hair with a curl… with a sword and armor. A sword .. and an armor. How quaint. His eyebrow raising slightly when he noticed my appearance.

'Where are we, and who is the owner of these lands?' the man spoke, voice still as stern as before.

Swallowing slightly and keeping my eyes on the blade pressed against my neck I clenched and unclenched my hands. 'I-I.. I have no idea.' I started, inwardly cringing how awfully that had sounded. 'Sir.' I added quickly.

Damnit.

'Where is the princess and where is your King?!' he pressed the blade a bit further, not cutting me, but it certainly did scare the oblivion out of me. He had raised his voice, and it was only now that I noticed he was not alone. For as he ended his sentence, a stirring came from further away near some rocks.

My eyes followed the sound and a small party of men came through the trees and bushes.

'Crawe?'

'What is going on?'

'Don't fall behind! What are you doing?'

'We have to make haste!'

'What-'

Eyes quickly fell upon me, and I felt the familiar wave of embarrassment flow through me. A few moments it was silent, eyes all trained on a girl who looked like she had gotten into a fight with a boar, with hands raised and a sword pressed against her neck.

'Awkward.' I muttered.


	2. Who are you?

**Hello hello hello! Just to warn you all: it is indeed a slow-mance. No jumping eachothers bones just yet! Thank you for the kind messages!**

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Man. This was definitely the time where fate changed the game up. Six men found me in the middle of nowhere on a land floating in the air. Safe to say I was very confused.

'Who are you girl?' Once again, I was very very confused.

'She's a woman.'

'Who knows of our location?'

'Is she a mute?'

'No she talked alright.'

'Ok, can we please not talk about me as if I'm not here?' I sighed with my hands still raised up in the air.

Silence fell over the group for a few seconds.

One of the men took a step forwards. He too wore a guard's outfit, he was not that much taller than me but he did make me feel quite small. Probably had something to do with the expression on his face and a hand on his sword. Nice hair though and nice eyes. Just plainly good looking, I don't want to make it sound like I was completely smitten on first sight. But however handsome Sir Coolhair might have looked, it did not change the fact that I was in major trouble.

'What's your name girl?' Sir Coolhair asked, head slightly tilted to the side.

Now here lies the problem of sounding like a lady in distress: you need a pretty name and a pretty face. I'm average looking and Addy is not the most impressive and beautiful name.

'Addy.' I muttered, eyes still not leaving the sword on my neck.

'Well lady Addy,' _god that had sounded awful, even coming from his mouth. _'Do enlighten us, are there any others with you?'

'No.'

'Are you certain?'

Well…_no_. I wasn't. Maybe some other people fell on their heads and landed on a floating island of doom today?

'Not that I'm aware of.'

That answer had indeed earned me a weird look. I chuckled to myself. Bloody hell if that was odd, try asking-

'How did you end up here?' another man in a fancy looking armor asked

… Yeah. That question.

'I don't know.'

''What are you doing here?' the other man asked.

A better question. But still. 'I don't know.'

The group started to protest and started to shout. It was quite alarming really.

'What do you mean you don't know? Did you fly here by any chance?'

'She's lying! She followed us!'

'Look at her clothes! She's not from Cloister, she obviously lives here!'

My head fell back as I let out a frustrated sigh, relieving my neck momentarily from the cold steel. I was getting cranky and my tolerance for this game was growing thin. 'Stop bully-circling me, I don't like it! So just knock it off!'. Realizing after that sentence that maybe I was in no position to give orders, I tried the lost sheep approach. 'I just want to go home, home as in England. I can't stay here.' I said with a slight hint of a frown on my face.

I know it was a stupid thing to say. At least I do now. What did I expect them to do?

'You're not going anywhere my lady.' The man said.

I wanted to object, I did. But a hand clutched my upper arm, holding it in a death grip, so I was distracted.

A few moments past before the man had turned away slightly. 'Search her Crawe.'. The man holding my arm and the sword against my neck nodded.

'Excuse you?' I yelped a little disgruntled.

The sharp steel left my neck, but the grip on my arm remained as he stood in front of me. I tensed visibly as he roughly grabbed near my arms, going down to my legs. He found something in my pocket, which I was curious to see since I had forgotton. It was a chocolate coin. Good, at least I had that. The man named Crowe frowned a bit, but put it back in my pocket not seeing how I could do any harm with it. I bit back a chuckle as he visibly had some trouble searching around my torso_. They are called breasts dear lad. Every maiden has 'em_. He snatched his hand back, and nodded towards his superior.

'Nothing relevant. What are we go-'

But a boy around my age cut mister Crawe off.

'We don't have time for this now, we must find out where Isabelle is!'

'We shall Jack, as quickly as we can. I shall go ahead, we already have our heading.'

"What about the girl?" I shot a glare at a bald man in armor standing to the left of me.

"Bring her with us."

"What?!"

'what?' nonononono. Addy did not like that decision. Not at all.

'Crawe, tie her hands, hold her close and keep an eye on her.'

'Where are you lot taking me? Whatever mess you found yourselves into, I swear I have nothing to do with it!' I objected, only to be answered by a glare from Sir Coolhair himself.

'Gag her if you must Crawe.'

_Jesus._

Well that shut my trap.

The man has issues.

We followed Sir Issues throughout the woods, and so far I had only discovered two names. Crawe the knight, escorting me through the woods, who after a while let go of my arm. He never left my side this whole time, stuck like glue that boy was. I don't really blame him for being cautious though, but the feel of his sword on my neck was still in the back of my mind. The other one was Jack. A boy who didn't look like a knight, far from it actually. Big blue eyes he had, with worry edged into it. He tried to make small talk with some of the others, but remained mostly quiet.

There were two other knights, a bald one and Sir Issues. Another armed and older looking man walked along with us with an attendant or something. He was slightly smaller and thinner man and he looked a little mental to be honest.

The information I had collected was as follows:

They are talking weirdly polite and calling me things as lady _(snort)_ . Which means it's very unlikely I am in the future _(damnit)_. The six men are looking for a princess, who carved some messages on trees and whatever.

Sounds like the movie rat race to me.

No?

Okay.

After what seemed an eternity of walking to me, we had stopped. Not because they felt sorry for the girl they just found, but because the trail had stopped. I heard some hushed whispers about what might have happened, and I heard some call out her name. I tilted my head back slightly and turned to Crawe. 'So, how much danger do you think she's in?' I whispered, not sure if I could talk yet. He glanced at me, but kept his mouth shut for a few moments. 'Something big took her from this hiding spot. So I assume we'll be in for quite some excitement too.'

Hm. He had sounded nicer and he wasn't going to gag me yet, which was good. 'I gave this to her' Jack said, walking towards me and the other knights. He held up a small book. Gosh, he must be smitten. I played with my bonds, being bored out of my mind. The sooner they found the girl the better.

That was until Sir Issues decided that we should split up to search more places. Seriously? Has he never seen movies before? You know what happens if you split up! Bad things happen to good people dude!

I wondered briefly if I should say anything about it, but I was being pulled forward by Crawe to join Jack and sir Issues on our quest for the lady Isabelle. 'Roderick', his attendant and the other knight went the other way.

After sometime I noticed another problem. My clothes were very impractical, as were my shoes. I had no coat, so it was really cold and my boots weren't made for long walks. My fingers were getting numb and my pace was slowing. I didn't say anything though, I marched on. And I kept up with the gentlemen who had me at their mercy, wincing every now and then when my heel scraped against the back of my shoe.

I think Sir Issues noticed though, he glanced my way every now and then. A frown still on his face though. It had started to rain now, and I remember how I wondered how that was even possible so high up in the air.

We neared a pool of water and across from it were a bunch of sheep. Finally something normal I recognized! Never had I been so happy to see sheep, those balls of fluff lifted my spirits.

'What I am wondering little miss Addy,' bellowed the man with issues while Jack and Crawe started trudging through the water. 'Is why on earth you are wearing clothing intended to be worn by a man?'. He wasn't looking at me. Such a charmer.

It took me a while to respond, because I wasn't sure if it was a joke or not.

'_Just _Addy, please.' I said while a small spark of annoyance flickered within me. Miss Addy sounded like a bad name for a fairy godmother in a Disney movie.

A rope sprang up from beneath the water as a large rock fell off to one side. A net rose from the water and where indeed now trapping Jack and Crawe.

'Bloody hell.'


	3. King Kong and Godzilla

**MissIz: Oh, I love writing about Addy. Hope you like it! Thanks for the fav's, the views, the reviews and the following! Don't be afraid to give me feedback!**

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'You know,' I started trying to lighten the mood, while I stood next to Sir Issues who was momentarily trying to cut the ropes holding the net up. 'I might be all new to this 'being a prisoner on a quest of saving princesses' thing. But this to me, might be considered a tiny step backwards wouldn't you say?'. Giving me a wry look he continued hacking through the rope, while Crawe wriggled trying to set him and Jack free. Genius. Jack was indeed trying to be useful, cutting the ropes from the net.

Feeling ignored I'd huffed angrily, and leaned against the rock behind me. 'Cut _me_ loose.' I tried again.

'You already asked that.'

'Please?'

'No.'

'Pretty please?'

'Milady, I don't care what your 'please' looks like.'

Seeing it was pointless trying to argue with him at the moment, I had stared down at my clothes thinking about his previous comment. Maybe I was right not to throw the word feminism their way at that moment, so mature Addy! But hell.. they must have seen girls in pants before right? Right?

I glared at the sheep still happily grazing near the pool. Probably their fault. Are sheep capable of making traps? That'd be scary as hell.

'Good sir, do you keep all the ladies you find tied up?' I huffed while trying to get a wet strand of hair out of my face with hands tied up. The rope was rubbing my wrists raw. Stupid rope. Stupid rain.

'I believe the point of it all was you telling me that you weren't one.'

_Apply cold water on burned area._

Feeling the cold and the rain effect me I slumped more against the rock. Why hadn't I worn a coat this day?

Suddenly I noticed Sir Issues (Whom I should really stop calling Sir Issues, and just ask his bloody name) stir for a moment. And he then began sawing at the rope faster and firmer, a troubled expression washing over his face.

After what seemed like ages, Crawe fell into the water out of the net. Jack was still struggling to get out.

I finally noticed what had gotten Sir Issues so iffy all of the sudden. It was quiet like in one of those movies like Lord of the Rings before the start of a war. Or a horror movie or something. Right before a headless clown with a chainsaw jumps out of the cupboard.

Our heads turned when we heard a distinctive snap coming from the forest.

'Ngh.'

I don't think I ever made that sound before.

'What was that?'

With enough force that could punt an elephant, Sir Issues practically dragged me further behind the rock and behind him. Covering my mouth instantly as I was about to yell some obscenities, for that stunt he pulled had scared the shit out of me. He gave me a look, and started peeking over the rocks. I certainly had wanted to look too, but he had pushed me down by the shoulders.

Boy. If that didn't make me curious. I heard a noise though. A big flippin' noise. Large footsteps and heavy breathing coming from near the net. Oh no. I had seen a movie like this before! This island where king kong was on or something! Weren't there tiny godzilla's there too?

If this was so, maybe king kong would fall in love with mister cautious next to me, he could wear a blond wig, show him the view from the empire state building and everything! Or maybe it was godzilla trying to eat us, or if she failed enormous bugs would do the job for her! Who made that movie anyway?

..stupid brain! What are you doing?

I had hoped Jack and Crawe were okay, I didn't hear any screaming yet. Not sure if that was a good sign though. Me and Sir Issues sat there for a long moment, his face stricken with fear and mine with confusion. I heard the splashing of water and the heavy breathing coming closer. The knight next to me had ducked, and the sound stilled for a moment. Making eye contact with him I silently tried to ask: _'WHAT IN THE NAME OF SAINT PETER IS GOING ON? ACCORDING TO YOUR SHIT-SCARED EXPRESSION SATAN CAME FOR A VISIT.'. _But he simply put his finger against his lips.

I do not like being shushed.

We heard more movement, and we turned our heard towards the direction. I peeked past mister Knight, and saw Crawe. Behind a tree. And something big.

Very big. And very ugly.

My heart stopped when I saw the huge and foul giant, but my heart sank seeing the direction it was going towards: Crawe. The earth had rumbled with every step, and the giant seemed to sniff the air.

Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck-

Without blinking an eye the giant grabbed the tree Crawe hid behind, and Crawe looked horrified. And I don't blame him. The fear in his eyes darted to mine, and I felt horrible.

I shifted uncomfortably since I felt the need to help the poor man. He might have threatened me, but he wasn't a bad man. I do not wish the fate of dying by an ugly giant upon anybody. My shifting alarmed the knight next to me and he hissed the words 'Stay.'. He practically sprinted form behind the rock we were hiding from, drawing his sword.

Seriously. The testosterone level in these guys was too damn high. I watched powerlessly as my shining knight with issues tried to stick his sword into the thick skin of the ugly creature. That had earned him a smack, flinging the poor man towards the rocks.

K.O.

Giant : 2

Knights: 0

Torn between getting up and help them and following orders from my now knocked out captor, I took a step from behind the rocks. And almost immediately I saw Jack, sitting halfway in the pool. He caught my eyes and shook his head slowly.

_'Don't do it Addy.'_.

Jack went under as the giant turned, and I fled back behind the rock. He passed us with the two knights dangling from his hands. And that sight had effected me more than I thought it would.

* * *

I followed the giant with me eyes as he disappeared into the tangle of trees. Jack came back up for air and I stumbled over to him.

'It took Elmont and Crawe! We have to go after them!' he gasped, blue eyes searching mine as he stood up.

Ah. My mysterious Knight with issues had a name! Elmont… hm. Okay. I was expecting more like: 'Brutus king of a thousand Bastards' or something. Did we have to go after them though? From my point of view those two were already neck deep in this shit. But still. I couldn't just go back without them, they were the only people I had met since I had landed here. And perhaps the only people who could get me the hell away from here in once piece.

'Well yeah. Then we better get started!' I said, still a little shaky about the whole thing. 'What the hell was that anyway?'

'A giant' Jack said with a tone that questioned my intelligence.

'Yeah. No, I got that bit. But what IS it?' Actually I wanted to know **why** that giant was what it was, because this was not something that happened in my world. In books maybe!

_Books_. Jack and the beanstalk. I put two and two together. The beanstalk, Jack, the giant… I ended up in a messed up children's book about a Giant and this English dude who took his harp and his goose who shat gold? Fee Fi Fo Fum and all that jazz?

My realization was cut short by Jack who ran after the giant, me following him was not as easy as it had looked. I caught up to him though, I grabbed his arm successfully stopping him. 'Cut me loose!' I rasped, quite out of breath because of the sudden sprint.

As I expected he gave me a look. 'I'm going to make a lot of noise if I can't hold onto anything during our game of tag!' He still looked hesitant. 'Seriously dude, what am I going to do? Talk you to death?' I guffawed. I couldn't help the feeling of being a little honored they thought I was capable of a lot of things such as harming them.

There was another look, the quick movement of his knife being slid between the ropes binding my hands and the sound of running. A lot of running.


	4. Hello MTV, welcome to Giant Cribs!

**Thank you once again for the lovely reviews! Glad you like it! I think it's too soon to say, but I might throw in some other POV's later on. Not quite sure yet, because I want Addy to be in the spotlights first really. Character development everybody! Review, PM or throw a brick if you like! I have exams this week and the next! I am done at april the 25****th****, so updates may be a little slower. Enjoy!**

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'I'm seriously beginning to-' _hufpufhufpuf '-_regret-'_ puf_ '-not going to the gym since I was 16.'

Every step that radioactive freak took were like 10 meters! Needless to say me and Jack were getting quite drained of energy. At this point I was almost certain that these so called knights were going to be the death of me. 'Cause here I was, planning to save the poor buggers. From a giant none the less. Slap me thrice and call me Brünhilde.

'I don't know about you, but I need some serious Spartan-styled training!'

Cussing when I tripped and stumbled again, Jack grabbed my arm just in time. We would have fallen behind a long time ago of the dear boy hadn't been so polite. To be fair, the ground was VERY uneven and I saw Jack stagger every now and then too.

'I have absolutely no idea what you are saying Addy.' Jack answered as we both continued our path through the trees chasing our lovely knights in distress.

Hm.

However, the rain had stopped. I really disliked the rain here, let me tell you: It was this not quite wet rain, but still manages to bloody soak you're clothes. The air was still humid and it was not making me feel any better knowing that six men had seen me with a see through top and hair that stuck up in weird places. _Groan._

'Here.'

I gave a very unfeminine 'Wha-' before I barely caught jack's jacket.

..Jack's Jacket.. Heh. I could make a rap song out of that.

I was indeed eternally grateful for the piece of warmth he had offered me, or more like… had flung into my face. But still, I gave him a smile and thanked him. And we continued on.

And by God. It was a long damn way. On a scale from one to Lord of the Rings it must have been a 7. I still cringe at the memory how bad my feet had looked that night.

Jack and me did get out of that horrible forest though, and oh my it was a sight to behold. Apparently the gaint we saw was not the only one on this place. I saw more, and 'a lot' was not the term I would use. I think the correct term for it is: 'A shitload of giants'. This story was not following the book! Infuriating plot-twists.

Well, it had seemed the giants had their typical MTV crib. A whole damn city actually. From where we were standing in looked like upside-down empty toilet rolls on rocks. But on closer inspection it consisted mostly of towers with dug out caves though and a really REALLY terrible smell. Seriously, that place reeked!

While we ran over a colossal bridge, I quietly wondered if giants pooped, and where would they do their business.

But c'mon! I was expecting the castle from the book! Not a huge stone city filled with putrid smelling mutants! Large male mutants to be specific!

We trudged on, trying to find the main entrance. Which wasn't that hard to find, we were just following the sound really. There seemed to be some assembly going on since a lot of giants seemed to head towards a certain part of the city. And I really did not have to guess what the excitement was all about.

We followed our giant, who I had just christened Jimmy, to their front porch. There were a lot of giants. I kind of started to miss the forest. The rustling of leaves, slightly cold breeze and even the bloody rain. I think the rain could so some good here! It was a gross place deep within the earth, and by God it could use a cleaning lady.

We snuck ourselves in and hid behind some walls we caught our breath. 'Where do we go now?'

Jack's eyes were already roaming. Boy, was he born with these big blue innocent eyes? Must be getting all the ladies!

'In here!' He yanked me through a crack in the wall before another giant was about to pass by. What is it with these men that feel the need to fling me everywhere!

Never a polite: ''Addy my dear, I suggest we should head this way. Is that to your liking?''.

No. It was always the rude and late information treatment: _Yanking Addy and saying: _"IN HERE". _Flinging Addy and saying: "Careful!". Throwing Add_y and saying: "This way!".

Grumpily I dusted myself off and took in my surroundings. Well.. Ugly they may be. But poor they were certainly not.

Jack and I were finding ourselves in an entire room filled with treasure, the typical bling bling. It was gathering dust here really, I guess the giants didn't want to make themselves look pretty. Jack had his eyes on an egg-shaped ornament, not entirely made of gold but it looked expensive enough. I quickly checked if I saw the goose, but it wasn't anywhere. I really had wanted to see that goose, and possible ask it some questions about that gold formula.

I let my hand slip through a box filled with gold coins, and it felt good. I don't think I have so much gold running through my hands before.

'We can't stay here Addy, we must hurry.' Jack said, and I couldn't help but notice his bag looked a lot fuller all of the sudden.

Maybe that was a good idea! I had no money here, and I'm sure the lovely giants wouldn't miss it. Taking two hands filled with coins and dropping them in my pocket I turned to Jack who had an amusing smile on his face.

'What?'

'Let's just go.'

And the boy bolted in another direction, and I winced but followed anyway. I barely caught my breath from our first run stupid boy!

Let's just say it took a hell of a lot longer than our little chasing game from before. We lost our way lots of times in the zigzagging tunnels.

'Does everyone call royalty by their first names?' I questioned while we snuck through another tunnel.

'What do you mean? Absolutely not.' Jack mumbled.

'Really?'

'Really.'

He still didn't catch on though, so I tried again. 'Not even the princess?'

He stiffened visibly. He got it.

'She told me I could call her by her first name!'

'You have the hots for her, don't ya?'

He turned toward me with eyes wide and a quite apparent blush on his face, and I snorted 'Dude, it's not that hard to tell. And I haven't even see you two together yet!'.

He had looked at his feet and back up at me.

'What?'

'Nothing, let's hurry Addy.'

So easily flustered these men, I could have fun with this! But I felt a little bad for the boy though, just because I'd took notice of it didn't mean I'd have to spell it out for him.

'You're part of the search party aren't you! You are her savior right? Why the big gloomy frown?'

We walked towards an opening, and what we saw when we looked was not what we were expecting. It was a crypt. Random bones were scattered on the floors and it didn't smell like Edward Cullens armpits either.

'I'm a farm boy. Farm boys don't get involved with princesses. She's going to be married soon anyway.' Jack whispered while his eyes were scanning the area. I almost laughed at him. Was a commoner getting involved with a princess really the worst royalty could do? Boy, they've never met prince Harry. And really isn't it the first rule of genetics: spread the genes apart! No wonder all the royalty nowadays are so retarded.

'Over there!'

I looked in the direction where Jack had pointed, but Jack already grabbed my hand and ran off. Tug of war with Addy keeps being fun apparently.

_Sigh._

Soon I saw what Jack was talked about, I saw a girl and Elmont in a huge birdcage being carried by a giant. But were was Crawe? Did he escape?

But I must say, sneaking around is very simple when you're the size of a mouse. So me and Jack had no trouble to navigate from the catacomb to what appeared to be the kitchen.

…Weird to have those two rooms so close together.

'Jack we need a plan-'

But the boy was occupied with something else. Or someone. The pretty girl in the cage had whispered his name, but he put his finger to his lips. Her eyes showed relief and she flashed a smile.

_Ohohoho. I knew._

This might actually turn into a romance! But we had more pressing matters then the intimate moment between the two lovebirds. I nudged Jack when I saw that Elmont had been stripped of his armor and was being showered with flower and rolled into dough. A pig in a blanket.

Jack and I slid silently over the big table towards the cage that still held the princess. Damnit Jack. This was definitely not the moment! They had the whole: you-came-for-me-conversation while there was another person being turned into shish kebab for all they cared. 'Oy! We are in some deep shit!' I breathed, clearly not remembering I was among royalty. 'We are most certainly not!' Jack whispered quite shocked.

'You! Boy! Go help the poor man!' I hissed in Jack's direction. I didn't like this situation, at all. Had I seen this from afar, I might have laughed my wee arse off. But now I had settled for panic.

The boy had actually listened though, and had left in the direction of the pigs in a blanket. My eyes flashed towards the giant who was occupied cutting some vegetables and back to the little lady in the cage. I looked her cage over, and settled for the giant screw holding the door closed. Oh. Right. 'Hi, I'm Addy your highness, nice to meet you.' I huffed while I was trying to lift the screw up. Damn that thing was heavy!

'The pleasure is all mine. I'm glad you're here.' but the eyes of princess Isabelle flashed. 'Hide!' And in that moment I dropped the screw and jumped behind the cage. I took this opportunity to see how Jack was doing.

Dear God, sweet lord. Dear Elmont almost got his family jewels speared on that plate by what seemed an oversized toothpick to hold the dough together. The giant had left his place and was now carrying the tray that Elmont lay on and carried him towards an oven. I saw Jack though, making a sawing motion with his hand and pointing to Elmont. When I had looked confused, he showed me his left side near his belt where his knife used to be. The knife was gone.

Before I knew what was where the giant was before the cage, staring into the face of the princess. He opened the door of the cage, making it swing back a little. It had shoved me to the edge of the table, and my heart rate had doubled. Out of the corner of my eye I saw that Jack was struggling to reach a shelf. I frowned and my eyes wandered to the direction he had wanted to go to. Hanging above the giant was a nice rack of knives.

Managing to sneak towards him, I gave his feet a push with my arms. He was quite a bit taller than me, but with the push he managed to grab onto the shelf. It was at that moment I felt completely helpless. Jack climbed upward while the princess was getting ready to be eaten alive. My eyes flickered towards Elmont who had now successfully pulled himself out of the pastry, though he was looking a bit overcooked. I heard a roar and a scream above me.

I gazed in horror as I saw the giant stumble around. He was grasping at his back frantically. There was a knife neatly planted into his neck. The slight problem was that Jack was still attached to it. The giant made an unlucky step backwards against the wall to the left of me, burying the knife deeper into it's neck with a sickening crack.

'Oh God.' I sighed of relief when the giant fell forward onto the floor with Jack still alive and kicking on it's back. Whether it was dumb luck or some kind of miracle, that boy had more guts than Leonidas himself. I all but ran towards the still quite shocked figure of Jack, gazing at the damage he had done. I grabbed his arms looking him over, he was shaken but not hurt. I sighed 'Good God boy, you scared the living crap out of me.' as I caught my breath.

Jack gave me a crooked smile, but his eyes quickly darted to Elmont who had stepped up next to me.

"Well _done_, Jack! Well done!" He praised as he gave a brief handshake.

Jack looked absolutely relieved at the approval sir knight gave him. Really, it was adorable. Like a pup who got praised by his master. The eyes of Elmont darted to mine and my free wrists, and I all but wanted to sink in the ground. I don't know why but I really did expect a scolding, even though I _sorta _helped him and the princes. He seemed to sense this, _good man_, and simple settled for checking the princess for injuries.

'Where is Crawe?' I muttered, feeling like I should say _something._ The Princess looked away and Elmont eyes briefly scanned mine before shaking his head.

A wave of nausea ran over me, and I felt like dying. I didn't know who to feel bad for: All the knights who had died here or the one who remained?

Jack had cleared his throat 'We know the way out of here.' Jack said, clearly trying to change the subject.

* * *

We had somehow gotten ourselves out of the Giant's city, and it somehow seemed to go slower. Probably because the adrenaline in our bodies was well spent already. There was a certain glumness hanging over the four of us, because I think we were still quite shaken up about the loss of Crawe. We followed the footsteps we had made back to where we had been coming from, until we rested in the middle of the forest.

During our quick break in the forest we decided we should eat something, and even I received something. Hurray! I hadn't even realized how hungry I was after all this adventure really. I decided I should sit on a rock not far from where the princess was sitting, she held her hand in the other. It had a clean cut running from her hand to a small part of her underarm.

Before I could jump into action, Jack already came towards her with some kind of moss in his hands. He knelt before her and started to inspect the wound. Not wanting to steal his spotlight, I turned back around munching on the small piece of bread I was giving. They had made a grave for Crawe, even though there was nothing to be put into the ground. Elmont still stood in front of it unmoving.

I was really bad with these kind of situations, I wanted to say I was sorry for his loss. But really, I didn't know how to phrase it actually. And did he even want to know that from me?

'I-' I cringed at how weird that had sounded. '-I didn't know him all too well, but I believe he was a good person. W-well you probably knew him better- but that's not the point! I am sorry. Really. For your loss.'

He turned halfway and met my gaze and muttered a thank you. That didn't go too bad!

Giving a short cough I had stood up, 'So eh.. Maybe I could introduce myself again without the whole: who-the-bloody-hell-is-she!-thing. I'm Addy Pitsman, I am 25 years old, I am studying to be a nurse, my favorite color is green and I hate apples. Nice to meet you!' Holding out my hand to shake his.

He quirked an eyebrow at my hand, which made me drop it. But he played along anyway, being ever the gentleman. 'Nice to meet you Addy, although I wish it was under different circumstances. I am Elmont, Captain of the Royal Guard. And serving the King of Cloister for a long time now.' this was the time he did short bow everyone! A freaking majestic one too. Did he rehearse this much? 'I haven't bothered to find a favorite color, and I don't mind apples all that much.'.

I gave a happy grin, and gave a short bow in return. 'Well good sir, any idea how to find the others?'. Somehow I hadn't forgotten we had split up, and I was quite impressed with myself. His jaw tightened a bit. Oh dear. 'Roderick has betrayed us, and has a crown which holds control over the entire giant race. He's planning to start a war with all the kingdoms below, starting with Cloister.'.

I admit, I had to remember who Roderick was again. Then after a few seconds I recalled his face. But oh man, was this for real? A crown that controls the power over the giants? And there's a bad-ass wants to conquer the world with it? Bloody hell, it seems like a chicken-plot to me! Was Stephanie Meyer the God of this world?

'What are we going to do?'

'We?'

I huffed angrily. 'Yes, we.'

'Find the beanstalk first my dear, let's go fetch Jack and the Princess.'


	5. Fruitcakes

**Character development~ And since Jack and Isabelle had to spend a night in the beanstalk in the movie, I naturally assumed Elmont did too. Enjoy and don't be afraid to ask any questions!**

* * *

'Ah,' I said with a confused face. '_That's_ not how I left it'.

We had reached the rock-strewn end of the levitating land. This sky looked brighter but there was the sound of a rumble. So called rumble came from the giant who seemed to be snoring like the misshapen annoying shit he was. And yes, I am using the word: 'was'.

Our little group of four hid behind a rock nearby the giant who was sleeping soundly right near the beanstalk.

'Roderick's handy work no doubt.'

'Oh bugger.'

'What are we going to do now?'

A moment of silence was shared between the four of us.

'Did you seriously climb up that green stalk thing? Doesn't it have an elevator or something?' I asked incredulously.

'Keep your comments to yourself, Addy. Since we cannot understand a single word that you are saying.'

I was quite insulted.

'I've got an idea.' Jack enthusiastically noted.

'Well what is it?'

'We're going to wake a sleeping Giant." He said rapidly before taking on last look at the giant and running off in the direction of the forest.

'Well, that doesn't sound like a good idea.' Elmont remarked before following.

'Amen sister.'. And I darted off. Well I tried. The princess had grabbed my arm before I could bolt, and it made me fall backwards into the rock.

'Good God lady!' I huffed while rubbing my sore butt.

'Perhaps it would be better if you and I remained here Addy. You never know what might happen.' She said in this angelic voice. Haha, no wonder Jack liked her so much. She really did sound like a proper lady and everything, and even my name sounded elegant when she said it. I looked at her a few more seconds before I sat down with my legs crossed, admitting defeat. What did she think would happen when our boys were away? The best case was that the giant rolled over in his sleep and dropped all the way down. The worst case scenario was that he woke up, saw us, ate us, and continued to guard that thing awake this time. There was only so little two girls could do in this situation.

'So.. erhm' I had started, but the lady next to me had cut me off.

'How did you get here?'.

I swallowed, bloody girl saw straight through me 'I…woke up.. here.'.

Her reply was cut short though because Jack came back running with what looked like a beehive attached to a stick, Elmont not too far behind.

I gave a confused look, not getting how a beehive would improve our situation. But I saw them slowly approaching the giant, Elmont nearing the helmet of the giant.

_Ooooooooooooooh.. _

_… this is going to go wrong._

'How long have you known them for? Since I do not believe that is going to guarantee us a happy ending.' I muttered while seriously questioning the intelligence of these guys. There was absolutely nothing good about this idea. Sneaking past the big ugly thing might even be a better idea then dropping a beehive into the giants helmet.

'Trust me Addy, they are far more capable than you think.'

I spared her a glance and saw her smiling at me.

'If you say so Princess.'. I was bracing myself for the worst, while I peeked over the rock.

Elmont hovered above the giant's face as he slowly pulled the helmet hallway back. He leaned back while Jack dropped the beehive into the helmet. Elmont shoved the helmet shut and the two bolted towards us.

'The moment he clears, we make a run for it.' Jack huffed, clearly out of breath. We all got ready to run like hell, but there was nothing. Minutes passed but the giant still snored just as loudly as before. All four of us shared a confused look before we snapped our heads back towards the giant who had stirred.

'AUAAAARGHHH!'

I jumped a little as the giant jumped to his feet and proceeded to slap the shit out of his helmet.

'BEES! BEES!

It stumbled and slapped his own helmet a few times more before trying to pull his helmet off.

Once he had succeeded I couldn't help but snort at the big orange poofy hair he hid underneath that helmet. He looked like a mutated Scott Thompson! My smile fell when I saw most of the bees disperse from the helmet. BUGGER. But luck was on our side as one single warrior bee was not fucking happy about the whole thing, and shit went down. The bee continued to buzz around his face making him stumble backwards, eventually resulting in him tripping off of the cliff. I sure hoped there was nobody down there taking a wee against the stalk at the time.

It was silent for a few moments before we burst into laughter. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Princess Isabelle hugging Jack with a force that could break the poor boy in two. I also took note of the slight fading of the smile of Elmont, who clearly did not approve of young boys hugging the girl he was supposed to protect. The two of them didn't seem to notice or care though, and as they pulled away they still looked quite besotted.

I caught the eye of Elmont with a questioning look, but he simply lifted his eyebrows.

'Right! Let's go.' Jack said before heading off, the Princess not really wanting to leave his side yet. Youngsters nowadays…

We ran up to the edge and near a cave where the beanstalk was attached to the floating land of misfortune. 'Come on, let's go. The sooner we leave the better!' Jack said while a smile played on his lips.

'You three go, I'll be down as soon as I can.' Elmont had said from behind us. And I almost snapped my own neck by turning me head so fast. Our smiles had disappeared.

'No,-' The princess started '-we go down _together_.' . 'Yeah! You never split up, bad things happen!' I insisted.

'It would be useless if Roderick still has the crown.'

'But that's not the mission! Find the Princess and bring her home!' Jack started to look a little lost really.

Elmont took a few steps towards the boy and put a hand on his shoulder. 'Then you complete the mission, Jack. Get Isabelle to her father and leave Roderick to me.'

I did not like this. Me no like.

Jack looked as if he wanted to say more, but Elmont had lowered his voice. It had the same strict and authority-laced tone in it as when I first met the guy. 'Did you ever kill a man?'.

Jack hesitated.

My eyes shifted back to Elmont as he pulled the emblem off his cuff and offered it to Jack.

'Thank you, for saving my life. You're one of us now.'.

I took a quick glance at the bling Elmont just gave Jack, it looked like one of those FBI badges from CSI and stuff. Pretty cool, I wanted one of those!

Giving Jack a final pat on the arm he had turned to the princess, and she immediately pulled him into one of her embraces.

Goddamnit I really did not feel comfortable with this. He couldn't just be left alone here? Okay he was smart and all, but I really did not feel good about it. I started to bite my nails, as he finally let go of the princess. He turned to me. And right before he opened his mouth I pulled a Katniss Everdeen on him.

'I volunteer!'

'Addy, no!' Jack almost yelled.

'What? Absolutely not!' Elmont had looked as if I had grown a second head.

'I'm staying with you.'

'I don't think that's a good idea.' The soft voice of princess Isabelle had started.

'This is not a game young miss, I can't look after you.' And his eyes reminded me of my father when I was in big trouble.

'I can take care of myself, I won't be a nuisance. And you're going to need all the help you can get on this one.'

'I can manage on my own. I don't want to risk lives unnecessarily.'

'I'm sorry dude, you're not going to get rid of me today.' I frowned a little '…Except if you throw me off the cliff… which I wouldn't enjoy… and wouldn't deem very wise. A bit counterproductive really.'

He had looked angry. Very angry. But I stood my ground. 'Trust me on this.' I said as I had a stare down with mister knight. Realizing we were running out of time he rolled his eyes and let out a sigh, and at hearing that I smiled brightly.

Not saying anything anymore he began to usher the other two towards the beanstalk.

'Go now. Go.'

We watched them leave our sight, and we started walking back 'You might regret this.' Elmont had said, clearly still not happy with the whole ordeal.

'It's okay, I'm a big girl and everything.'

* * *

We decided we should wait near the beanstalk, since Roderick had to pass there in order to conquer the world and everything. But we had to wait very very very long, and it was starting to get dark. Was sat near the edge, hidden by a few big rocks, clearly tired of the whole thing, eating our (well actually Elmont's) last bit of food which consisted of a small piece of bread and drink of clean water.

And I had to pee. Badly.

'Do we have a plan?' I'd asked, standing up on the rocky ground, whipping my hands on my pants 'And is it even safe to be waiting here? Shouldn't we be afraid that.. well maybe not you, but that **I** accidentally roll over the edge in my sleep?'. With that I peeked over the edge again, judging if there was even a slight chance of survival.

'It takes me by surprise how you manage to ask so many questions after dealing with giants. You should be content over the fact that we are not dead yet.' Elmont had said, eyes still holding curiosity as to why I had stood up. 'Where are you going?'

'To Narnia.' I muttered while stepping over a rock that was in my way.

'I don't know how to respond to that, so I will not.'

'Probably for the best my dear.' I muttered while disappearing behind a few more rocks before finding a secluded place to pee without having giants taking a peep at me.

On my way back I almost tripped over a few rocks since the sky had darkened even more, and since we decided we shouldn't make a fire it took a hell of a long time to find Elmont.

'My feet,' I said to him when I finally reached our camping spot. 'Hurt_ so much' _I continued as I pulled off my boots when I sat down next to him. He didn't say anything though. I had wondered what the world he was from looked like. Would it be the whole 'game of thrones' setting, or was it more of a dreadful middle-ages thing. I wondered if they had a way to get me home. I had to say I had missed my mom's inappropriate jokes and pat on the head my father always gave me. Hell, I even missed my older brother who everyday pushed me into a wall jokingly.

It became cold too soon and I hugged my jacket closer to me.

.. hey! I forgot to give it back!

I sighed heavily at my stupidity and buried myself deeper in the jacket.

'You said you were a nurse did you not?' Elmont inquired when I almost had drifted off. I gave him a confused look 'Well.. not yet, I'm still studying to become one. I wanted to study medicine though.'. 'Why didn't you?' 'I just couldn't.' I muttered, not wanting to tell him I just wasn't smart enough. 'Maybe later, I'm still 25.' I added after a couple of seconds.

'Ah.' He said while leaning backwards with his head against the rock behind us. 'Then certainly you are married.'.

I almost chocked on the air I was breathing, 'Say wha- Of course not! Are you insane?'.

'I can assure you I am not. Does your father not wish for you to get married?'

God this was embarrassing. 'I-I don't give a rat's ass if my Dad permits it or not! Besides, 25 is regarded too young to marry anyway.'. That might have been a little rude, and not completely true. Lately more people of my age were getting married, even my classmate who was only 20 years old got married 10 days ago.

'You're a very odd girl'.

'I guarantee you I'm not as insane as this place. I'm not from a country where I have to ask a man's permission to do anything... well.. not yet anyway.' I huffed and he chuckled.

'Get some sleep, I'll keep watch.' He said, sternness back in his voice.

I hummed as I tried to sit more comfortably against the rock with Jacks oversized jacket around me, and I closed my eyes.

'You really are a fruitcake you know that?' I said, eyes still shut but with a slight smile.

'Go to sleep Addy.'


	6. Chocolate punch

**I always imagined Elmont was the kind of person who's very good with words.**

**Comments are very welcome : )**

**I apologize for any errors in the grammar!**

* * *

So.. as you can probably predict I couldn't sleep. Not a wink. And it had nothing to do with being on a giant world with a knight with funky hair and moustache accompanying me .

_Hahahahaha_… of course not.

I turned around for the 16th time that night. Through my lashes I could still see Elmont because of the enormous moon hanging above us, casting a silver light over the rocks.

Elmont wasn't asleep and just stared across the abyss from where he was sitting next to me. He was just really weird. As usual.

I opened the zipper on my pockets and ran my hands over the coins that I picked up in the giant city. My hands fluttered over another coin, it felt different then the cool metal of the other pieces. I plucked it out and held it between my index finger en thumb, examining it in the moonlight.

My chocolate coin. Crawe had placed it in pocket of my vest after finding it in the pocket of my jeans. Did chocolate already exist in these times? Weren't knights invented in like… the 12th or 15th century or something? And chocolate must've been quite a bit later… When people started taking each other's countries and stuff.

Elmont stood up all of the sudden and nudged me to do the same. Perhaps he noticed that I wasn't going to get any sleep this night.

'How well can you fight?'

Urgh.

Bloody hell.

'W-well I have punched a girl in the face once.'

Apparently to him this meant: You can't do shit Addy Pitsman. And before I knew it he was teaching me how to throw proper punches.

'Do we have to do this now?' I whined, feeling silly with my hands balled up in fists in front of me. I had been hitting his open hands for 15 minutes now, and it felt stupid.

'Yes, Addy. Cease your wailing.' He said, looking a bit miffed.

'Ok. But why?' I asked while punching his other hand.

'Because if you really want to help me when I confront Roderick, you better learn to be prepared. He won't hold back because you're a woman.' He responded, adding an 'again' when he was done. Making me throw another punch.

'You're going to break your thumbs if you hold them in your palms.' He commented while grabbing my fist.

'Never put your fingers over your thumbs when throwing a punch.' He continued, and he gave me a slight slap on the back of my hand.

What the hell? Was that supposed to be punishment?

It continued like this for a bloody hour. Throwing punches, evading them and how to break free if Roderick felt frisky and tried to break my arm or something. Safe to say I was exhausted and tired as hell. And despite it only being a brief practice, I had sworn profusely and my pride was beyond shattered at the end. And for the umpteenth time I found myself being intimate with the ground below me. When I had stood up, he sighed and corrected my stance with his feet. Pushing one foot a bit more behind the other.

'Once more, then it's been enough for today.'

Who the _hell_ did he think he was?

'Look, I am trying my hardest here. Could you be a little more pleasant? I don't know, maybe smile a little?' I rasped, still clearly out of breath.

'From as far as I've seen there is nothing to smile about milady.'

**Told.**

Cringing at the whole 'lady' thing, I frowned heavily as I did what he had asked. But I was punching a little harder than before. And finally we were done, and I sank to the ground overly exhausted.

'Did you just.. try to hurt me?' He asked, a flicker of amusement in his eyes as he flexed his hands for the first time.

He had annoyed the crap out of me, but I was too tired to respond with another witty remark.

I made myself comfortable as my fingers once again played with the chocolate coin. I unwrapped it, my eyes scanning the chocolate. This might be the first piece of chocolate that's even been on a giant land.

I felt eyes on me, and I saw Elmont frowning at the piece of chocolate in my hand in confusion.

Ah. Right. I forgot chocolate was food too. And I did **not** want to share.

.. Nope.

…

….

Ah for fucks sake.

'Do you want a piece of chocolate?' I mentioned while holding up the small piece.

'Cho-what?'

'Chocolate. It's a delicacy where I'm from. Do you want to try it?'

He gave me a funny look.

'You'll regret it. You won't get a chance like this again dude.' I continued breaking the small piece in two pieces. Failing miserably, and ending up with two very uneven pieces.

'What on earth is a 'dude'?'

I snickered at hearing the word flowing awkwardly from his mouth. 'It's kinda like… another word for… 'chap/man/fella/gentleman?''

It stayed silent for a few seconds.

'It's melting in my hands! Make up your mind!' I said laughing while raising my eyebrows in disbelief and amusement.

_That's what she said._

'Yes please, milady.'

_Ooh_. So well-mannered! But still the 'milady' thing started to piss me off a little more.

I handed him the bigger piece, because.. Well I had my share of chocolate well before I landed in this weird place. And he never tasted chocolate before… and.. I felt a little sorry for him. And he had meant well, although he'd been an upright arse while trying to train me.

I saw him looking at the brown stuff with a puckered brow, not quite seeing how something like that could be good.

'It's sweet of taste. Just try it.' I said while popping my piece in my mouth.

'You just put it in your mouth and chew!' I tried again.

_Again, that's what she said._

He tried it. Apparently when concerning food he just frowned the whole time, even during chewing. It was funny as hell, which made me give an unfeminine splutter.

'It's sweet.'

'Yeah, that's what I said. You don't have to parrot everything I said about the taste.'

His glare was shifted towards me, but he was still chewing. Honestly it was only making my grin grow.

'Too much sugar.'

'What!? That's the best part of it!' I responded, my grin faltering and my eyes almost falling out of their sockets. If he just said he didn't like sugar then it could've been mine!

'But it's good.'

_It better goddamn well be._

'Well,' I started while sitting up fully, knowing I wouldn't get any sleep now anyway. 'Now that you've tasted the magnificent taste of food from my world, what is the kind of delicious food they have where you're from?'. I put my arms over my legs while glancing at him curiously.

'We have all kinds of foods milady.'

'Stop calling me milady, it's exhausting.' I commented while playing with the clasps on my boots 'And you don't see me calling you by your title, do you? I call you Elmont!'

'You haven't called me Elmont.'

I paused my actions. '….Really?'

'You continuously seem to address everyone in general. The only way I know you are talking to me is when you turn my way. You haven't used a single name besides 'princess'.'

And Jack_… once_ I added in my mind.

'Well then let this be the first: Elmont, my dear, would you please consider telling me about the delicious foods they have in the kingdom you serve?'

And talk he did. And delicious it sounded. By God, I could talk about food all day and not get tired in the slightest. He told me there were the basics as stuffed turkey or goose and baked potatoes with vegetables. But also sweet pastries and sugary flowers they only made in spring. And about big cakes with the most beautiful decorations, but they only made those on very VERY special occasions. The latest one he saw was made on the princess's birthday last month. I can't explain it the way he did, because he has his way with words. But it sounded very impressive. He did know the herb 'mint' when I had asked him, but looked with the slightest of interest when I started to explain 'pizza' to him.

And finally, somewhere with him telling me about the biggest feast he'd ever experienced (during the fourty-something birthday of the king, I have already forgotten), I dozed off. Still hearing the faint sound of Elmont explaining the taste of the herb and honey glazed covered ham on that night.


	7. Boxing match

**Giant**

_Gi-ant (Jahy-uh-nt)_

_Noun_

_(in folklore) a being with human form but superhuman size, strength, etc._

**Addy**

_A-ddy (æ-dee)_

_1. Slang for the ADHD medication: Adderall. Adderall is commonly known as speed. Its pharmacological makeup consists of a variety of numerous amphetamine salts-namely, dextro-amphetamine and levo-amphetamine._

_2. A girl from London who's also known as a walking contradiction due to the fact that 50% of her consists of common sense and the other 50% consists of being stupid none the less. Addy is a fan of David Bowie and pina colada, and is momentarily almost shitting herself in fear._

Both of us were crouched behind a big boulder where I had been sleeping only minutes ago. Elmont literally had to shake me awake with all the force he had. How had I slept through all the noise those giants made? We had been peeking over the rock a few times, and there they were. Again: how did I not hear them coming?

About one hundred giants were casually strolling from the woods while they carried something. A person. Probably Roderick. He was leading the Giants to attack the land beneath theirs.

God they were so big and ugly.

'Girl.'

Elmont's voice had shook me out of my daydreaming, forcing me to look at him while he spoke. 'I do not want you to get between Roderick and I while we have our discussion. This is what I want you to do:' His eyes glanced towards the horde of giants before flashing back to mine.

'Do you see that cave where Jack and Princess Isabelle went into yesterday?' he said as he nodded to my right side. I looked over to my right. 'I want you to run over there while I distract Roderick. And you are going to find the beanstalk and go down. Quietly. I don't want to hear a single sound from you once I bring Roderick in there. Even if I am slain you keep climbing do you understand? I don't want you anywhere near me for the next couple of minutes.' He said as his eyes blew icicles my way.

_My, aren't you a ray of fucking sunshine?_

I frowned heavily. 'I am not going down there without you, I was supposed to help yo-' I started but he had cut me off.

'This is the end of discussion Addy;' _bloody guy sounded like my mom. _'You are going to do what you're told for once in your life and go down that stalk quietly!' he said while his hand wandered to his sword. He wasn't looking at me, but he was giving me attitude and I did not like it.

His eyes went back to mine, 'Not a sound.'

Truth to be told I did not like following orders from any kind of person. But really, what help would I have be? I could hardly throw a punch yesterday.

So when all hell broke loose, and Elmont charged towards sir Roderick I ran as well.

But I had noticed a couple of things as I forced all the power I possessed towards my legs. The first being that it was a beautiful day with a soft breeze and the sun shining through thin wisp of clouds. And it had cast a warm glow on my cheeks. Secondly: I felt fear when I saw that the giants and royal-ass-Roderick had noticed us. Both of us. The beat of my heart hurt my chest and the rushing sound of my blood being pumped through my body filled my ears. And thirdly was probably the worst one yet. Elmont had reached Roderick, but they half stumbled into the cave where I was supposed to go in first. I noticed my speed decelerating before coming back full force. The giants were coming over and they had seen me, so I had to go in there as well. And that turned out to be quite the job.

You see, the boys kind of…threw themselves into it. So I had wanted to do the same.

And although the cave was made of smooth rocks I had hit a rock gone rogue near the entrance, and the collision smacked all the air out of my lungs.

I gasped for air as I landed in a stream of water near the entrance inside the cave. Due to my unfortunate landing small pieces of rock came flying down with me. Not that I noticed that much since I was clutching my side, still trying to catch my breath.

It hurt. A lot.

And my right side felt like it was on fire. Somewhere during my gasping for air I heard Elmont shout something before being cut off. This made me snap out of it and made me look around, trying to find Elmont. The water was still blinding my vision as I carefully stood up.

Two figures were slicing away at each other barely 10 feet away from me. It took me a while to refocus my vision and saw which one was Elmont and which was Roderick.

It was clear to me that Elmont did not want me anywhere near Roderick, since he drove Roderick to the back of the cave near the abyss. But that did not change the face that Roderick had indeed noticed me. But perhaps he didn't think I was that much of a threat at the time. After he was finished with Elmont he'd probably come for me.

I took a step forwards out of the stream of water when I heard a crackling sound from above. The whole world shook with the tremor, but it didn't seem to faze sir Coolhair and sir Arsehole.

Even when I bellowed 'What the flying _fuck_ was that?'.

Again a sickening sound rumbled through the cave as I gripped the wall of the cave.

And at that moment I was sure I was going to die. In a stupid cave with two stupid men. Soaking wet, again. Injured. And totally alone.

I understood the giants above us where trying to break the cave open to save their ruler, and stop us from running to the end of the cave and to the beanstalk.

My eyes rolled back to the two men fighting but I couldn't find them. I saw only one, which made my stomach drop with dread.

There was Roderick crouched down at the end of the cave near the beanstalk and the abyss.

The world was still rumbling around me as I stared wide-eyed at the place where I last saw Elmont. I wanted to scream loudly, I wanted to kick the living crap out of that god forsaken ugly piece of donkey crap. But most of all I wanted to throw myself into the abyss for freaking out too long. Maybe I could have saved him if I wasn't so damn busy with myself.

As I stepped closer to the rim where Roderick was crouched down I saw that Elmont wasn't dead yet. Very bloody close but not quite yet.

Dangling on the very edge of the giant-world was Elmont, barely hanging on as Roderick picked his fingers with his sword. Prying them away one by one.

And that bloody fool of a giant-king hadn't noticed me.

My eyes flickered around me as I searched the ground. Finding what I was looking for, I twirled the small rock in my hand as I looked back to Roderick. This was a great bloody risk because I couldn't aim to save my life. How on earth did I expect it could save Elmonts life?

Oh well, the least I could buy him time.

I gave a short whistle.

Roderick snapped his head towards me.

And as soon as he did I had thrown the rock.

Which hit the poor fella right in the schnoz.

I gave a slight yelp when I saw it had actually hit him and not flown past him as I expected. Or hit Elmont instead. That would've been very stupid.

Elmont took his chance, only not in the way I had hoped he would. Apparently Elmont had held onto Rodericks foot. And my dearest Elmont had taken the blade from Roderick, who was holding his poor nose in agony, and **stabbed** (I ain't kidding.)his own hand. By stabbing his own hand, the blade had pierced the foot of Roderick as well.

And as Roderick now cried out again as another pain wave coursed through his body, Elmont (as a coldblooded maffiaboss) **stabbed** (I still ain't kidding) Roderick in the chest.

Roderick staggered towards me, which would have frightened me. But he had looked dazed and stunned. Seeing that I fled over to help Elmont, but he was already halfway up.

_Bloody hell, how does he do that? _

_Beaten to a pulp, a stabbed hand and he still managed to climb up on his own._

As I looked Elmont over I heard Rodericks cries for help. I guess the crown really did get these giants to listen because they were halfway through the stone ceiling of the cave. Roderick cried for help from the giants on last time as he fell to the floor, and dropped to his side.

_The crown!_

I had sprung forwards but Elmont had my arm in a grip that would scare the Hulk. Just in time too, because the cave had collapsed and I saw the first big giant-hand reach towards the now-dead Roderick.

Hearing Elmont curse made me snap my head towards him.

_Great._

_Just fucking great._

_Fuck you too beanstalk._

It would seem that the beanstalk decided to leave us in giant land, since it was detaching itself from the rocks next to us.

Loud snaps and croaking filled my ears when the beanstalk gave away. If those bastards downstairs had cut it down I will kick their asses. Seriously.

Elmont had grabbed my other hand while he took a few steps back and took sprint towards the stalk.

_Oh bloody hell._

Have you ever been in a rollercoaster?

Yeah.

That feeling but then worse. Way worse.

My stomach heaved as both of us collided with the stalk which was falling towards the earth underneath us with incredibly speed. My knight in shining armor had me in another deathgrip as we tumbled down.

I heard a roar from a giant above us as we were currently falling to our deaths on a beanstalk …. On a bloody _beanstalk_. This was worse than my landing on this place, worse than meeting hostile knights and worse than even the bloody giants. I wasn't sure what had happened to Jack and Isabelle, nor what was happening in the land beneath us but I did know I was grabbing onto Elmonts arm tightly. With the other I held onto the beanstalk, clutching it for dear life.

'I am so 100% done with this shit!' I yelled while the wind whooshed past us and our muscles strained to keep ourselves lodged onto the beanstalk. The land beneath us was beginning to become visible now as we plunged towards our imminent death.

'Can you swim Milady?' he yelled back, eyes transfixed onto something in the distance.

Oh hell no.


	8. Prince Ali, fabulous he

_**You guys should see Ironman 3, it was fun!**_

_**Here is another chapter! I have a week off, so expect more! The story will not end when the giants have been defeated, just so you know. Right now the relationship between Elmont and Addy is not love but it's turning into mutual respect. I warned you! It's a slow romance because that's how it works in life.**_

_** Thank you for the kind messages! From now on I will reply to reviews by personal messages or right here!**_

__**_grainne9GOD_**_**: Thank you so much for the great compliment! It makes me very happy that you like it that much! :)**_

_** Enjoy chapter 8 (chapter 9 is on the way)!**_

* * *

_Dear Beanstalk, _

_What is the purpose of your life? To be a pain? You are an unpleasant, foul and useless piece of crap. And no one likes you._

_Sincerely, _

_A. Pitsman_

Only now I wonder what would have happened if I had answered 'No.' to Elmonts question. Would he throw me off or something?

I may never know.

It seemed Elmont had the brilliant idea of jumping into the water-filled trench around the castle below us. The moat was quite big and it seemed deep enough, but it still didn't feel like a good idea. But until now Elmont's ideas didn't go perfectly to plan, but in some way we were okay in the end. Which is why, if you were there (You weren't), you could have been able to see me look at the water and back to Elmont 2 times before I answered : 'Yes.'.

As soon as I said the word Elmont's hand clasped on me even tighter (if that was even possible) before I heard his breathing increasing. His eyes scanning the area as if calculating which spot would cause the least amount of damage to us both. I decided to make myself useful by thinking of something cool to yell when we jumped. But before I knew what was where Elmont pulled me sideways, took a step backwards and placing his feet in the middle of the beanstalk (which started to tilt sideways now).

When he jumped he pulled me with him and I didn't think this was a good idea anymore. Making a cannonball I couldn't help but yell 'TUTTI FRUTTI!' right before we splashed into the water.

Dirty water I realized as the cold water surrounded me. Didn't they dump all kinds of stuff in here in this time? Yuck. Swimming in water with the cute little ducky's and poop.

I noticed Elmont's hand was still attached to my arm and was dragging me upwards. As I came up I started wiping my face vigorously. Wow, Elmont. Really. Top-notch thinking! Landing in shitty water was right on top of my bucket list you inconsiderate bastard.

When I heard the sound of a wood crashing into wood beside me I couldn't help but gasp.

'Holy heart failure.' I muttered as the enormous beanstalk landed only a yard away from where I was swimming right now.

This whole adventure thing is going to be bad for my heart I tell ya.

'Well, that certainly worked out better than expected.' Elmont said as he was starting to swim towards the edge. Good sense of humor that boy had. Good gracious me.

I swam towards the land as I noticed some other soldiers running towards Elmont. _Oh yeah. I almost forgot he was some kind of special knight or something._

They had pulled him from the water and as soon as they saw me they did the same. And almost immediately after Elmonts feet touched the dry land he started barking orders to the others as he stalked towards the castle.

I felt like a little lost puppy really. I kept following him all over the place all the time and I didn't like it. Addy no likey. Elmont stalked over the bridge as the soldiers followed him. Two of them at my side. For heaven's sake, why did everybody think I was some damn convict!

'What about the girl captain?' one of the soldiers interrupted Elmont.

_Wow. This had been the second time someone asked him that question. Didn't that make me feel like a special snowflake?_

Elmont gave me a look as if he had already forgotten I was there in the first place. 'Take her to the infirmary. Let her be examined, she fell a lot. Warn the citizens, get out the crossbows and the tar. You-'

He was however interrupted by miss sassy Addy.

'I am not going to the bloody infirmary! I am fine.' I bellowed as I stepped in front of him. Perhaps it was the fact that I was going to leave the one person I actually knew since I landed here, but I felt the need to act like a spoiled brat. 'You can't keep on giving me orders like I'm some stray dog, okay? …With your funky goatee. Do you shave it in that fashion every day? Sounds exhausting.**'**

I admit that I got sidetracked by his facial hair, and that my word-vomit had been rude and obnoxious. And it was definitely not a good example of how to speak to a captain of a royal guard. Safe to say he had all the right reason to look a little miffed (I didn't dare look at the rest of the knights.).

'Well then what do you suppose you're going to do then Lady Pitsman? I am curious to know why you think your whining is going to be of any help when the giants decide to pay Cloister a visit.' He said while raising his eyebrow.

I looked confused as Elmont brushed passed me. I caught his arm though.

'What do you mean giants? They don't have a beanstalk anymore, or didn't you notice?' I replied with a tone which sounded a little dumbstruck.

He turned around with a sigh, probably not understanding why I was still talking.

'They have the crown, the giants are in charge of themselves this time. What makes you think they will hesitate in coming down. Besides;' he said as he leaned in closer 'I have my suspicions about how they will manage that. But trust me, they are coming.. So now if you please, follow sir Howard towards the infirmary.'.

The hand that was planted firmly on my shoulder at that moment probably belonged to sir Howard. Elmont had turned around and marched in the opposite direction.

'Howard won't stop me.' I called after him.

'Yes, he will.'.

'No he won't, he has a weird name.'.

'With all the respect milady, so do you.'.

_Burn. _

_Again._

_And he called me milady._

_Again._

By now Elmont was out of sight, and only sir Howard remained by my side.

'No offense sir Howard.' I muttered as I studied his features. Blond hair, blue eyes and a round face. He didn't look that scary.

'None taken young lady, follow me.' He said, but I scoffed in return.

_Haha, over your dead body Howard-boy._

* * *

'This is most undignified.' I grumbled as Howard had slung me over his shoulder (Which hurt like shit because of the fall on my side a few hours ago.).

'I did warn you beforehand lady Pitsman.' I heard Howard chuckle as he marched on. Apparently the infirmary was far away since we were walking for quite some time now. Damn I was bored.

'Prince Ali, mighty is he Ali ababwa. Strong as ten regular men, definitelyyyyy . He faced the galloping hordes, a hundred bad guys with swords! Who sent those goons to their looords? Why prince Aliiiii~'.

'What on earth are you singing?'

'He's got seventy-five golden camels~'

We can say this continued all the way down to the infirmary and I really don't know where it was located so don't ask. The room was not that big but it was well-lit with windows and chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. About 15 beds were spread around the room with only a few of them occupied. I saw some ladies walking around the place.

'-with his forty fakirs, his cooks, his bakers his birds that warble on key! Make waaaaaaaay! For prin- Ouch Fuck!' I cussed as Howard dropped me onto a bed.

'What on earth did you do to her Howard?' A soft motherly voice said to my right. I flipped over and noticed a lady. And let me tell you, she looked just like one of those Disney cartoon characters. She was a plump and elderly lady with a grey dress and an apron. The lady had greying hair but wisps of blond were still running through it. Her eyes were blue (Seriously, why was I the only person with dark eyes here?), but hers weren't icy like Elmont's and neither were they watery like Howards. They had a warm glow despite the cool color.

'I can assure you I didn't do anything Elinor. I only brought lady Pitsman here for a check-up, it appears she has taken quite some tumbles. Captain's orders.' Howard said while I gave him a wry look.

'I only fell once, but I checked my respiratory function! See?' I breathed in and out 2 times before I continued 'My breath sounds clear and equal, so no serious injury going on inside of me. You can let me go!'.

'You be quiet and stay in bed. I've seen my friends die of a simple injury before, so you're going to stay right here. Let lady Elinor do her work' Sir Howard said to me before he gave me a short nod, gave the woman a bow and walked off.

_Damnit Howard! Don't leave me in this place you moron!_

Lady Elinor's eyes followed Howard's figure for a while, before stepping closer to the bed I was currently sitting on. 'Well, you certainly know what you are talking about. Are you a healer lady Pitsman?' She smiled while rummaging through the cabinet next to me.

'Sort of. Not really. More of a nurse really.' I muttered while following Lady Elinor with my eyes. 'And just Addy please, Lady Elinor.' I added when she pulled some bandages out of the cabinet and turned towards me.

'Well Addy my dear, I'm honored to meet a fellow physician as myself. You may call me Elinor.' She said as she placed the bandages on the bed. I wanted to explain that I really wasn't a physician, but she ordered me to take off my shirt.

Normally I am not that ashamed of my body during my classes at school, but somehow I was a little reluctant taking off my shirt today. I noticed her raising an eyebrow at my bra, to which I answered 'Don't ask.'.

I had been right though. There was only a blue colored spot and a scrape on the right side of my ribcage, so I only had some bruised ribs really. Elinor was a nice lady though, she was very gentle and calm and laughed at my jokes (which is always appreciated). She was a good healer too! She cleaned the area, put some weird smelling ointment on it and put a small bandage around my ribcage. But when she asked me where I was from I didn't know how to answer.

Luckily for me there was a loud crash outside the infirmary, and the sound of yelling greeted our ears. Me and Elinor shared a look, before another loud clatter was heard from outside.

'Alright dearie, if you're feeling well perhaps you could help me move the other patients away from here. I think we'll be in for quite some adventure today.' Elinor said while she handed me my shirt, and started for the other patients. The other ladies in the infirmary where already busy carrying all kinds of bottles and bandages out of the room.

I couldn't carry much, but I did help Elinor with one of the patients out of the chamber. However, I was shocked to find burning trees on the pathway outside. And I'm not talking about small trees either.

The feeling of dread washed through me as I walked a little faster with Elinor and the patient. Apparently we were placing them further away into a bigger hall. A hall suddenly filled with suffering soldiers with cracked bones and limbs hanging onto threads.

I questioned why we didn't just get off this place, but Elinor answered that she'd spoken with a soldier and it would seem that big giants had surrounded the place and that'd we just have to trust captain Elmont on this.

At the hospital where I'm a nurse intern there are always moments where something goes wrong. The hospital seems a terrible place, cruel, harsh, pitiless and as dark and murky as a bad dream. When bad things happen I sort of turn to stone, and simply try to keep a person alive until the doctor comes. And that's what I did. In a room with people I didn't know I turned into bad-ass nurse Addy. I can't specifically remember what I did, but I do remember I was helping Elinor most of the time. Helping with keeping chests closed, assisting Elinor while she put an arm back into its socket, helping with resetting bones, stitching… It went on for ages. The air became stuffy by the hour, and it had begun to smell of sweat and blood. More soldiers were brought in every minute, and the work didn't seem to end.

Until an unfamiliar crash was heard unlike the others I had heard before. Then more rumbling and the sound of stone smashing into stone. The hall trembled and glass was breaking. But as soon as it began, it was over and total silence (except for the occasional groan of the soldiers) filled the hall. All of the other healers looked up in confusion and fear, and a few glanced towards the door. Wanting to see what was going on.

'Addy, why don't you take a peek outside and see what is going on. Be careful, will you dear?' Elinor said with half a smile. She looked tired and I nodded briefly before heading towards the massive oaken door.

The air was cool and welcome, but it had smelled of tar and smoke. Large pieces of rock were lying in front of me.. well not rock… more… a piece of a wall really. I looked up and saw a familiar sight.

_Beanstalk. We meet again. You son of a-_

The beanstalk was entwined with the castle in front of me, only a few meters away from the infirmary hall. It had broken the castle to parts which explained the huge pieces of wall scattered around.

I looked to my left and saw another sight which I wouldn't soon forget. Taking a few uncertain steps towards the square I was greeted with the sight of the giants, kneeling in front of a small group of men.

Seeing a familiar face, I took quick steps forward to see properly. I saw Jack wearing the crown I had last seen on Roderick. A watery laugh left my throat in relief as I saw the princess (in a weird golden armor also worn by a man next to her… I mean what the hell?) and Elmont. After a while I also saw Howard in the far back, but I already had ran towards the infirmary hall. My feet were almost flying over the grey colored tiles. I slammed the door open, almost tripping over my own feet, and I couldn't find the right words anymore.

'I think we kicked their ass.' I breathed.


	9. Uncivilized-gorilla

**Here you go lovelies! Thank you for the lovely comments, I love hearing from you! I hope you'll like this one! :)**

* * *

It had started to become more quiet than before in the infirmary (Or at least the hall where it had been replaced). Only a few people were brought in, but not as much as before. All the beds were occupied and some soldiers were scattered on the floor. I stood by Elinor while she tended to a soldier who'd fell from an edge when the giants had thrown flippin' burning oak trees at the fort. The knight had screamed in agony as Elinor examined his arm (which was bent in a weird shape). Elinor shared a look with me and I had understood. I moved to the head side of the bed and placed my hands on the side of the man's face. His eyes flashed to mine before he let out a scream when Elinor reset his bones. Stroking his head I muttered comforting words as he writhed in pain.

'Ye need sleep dear, you look tired.' Elinor said to me when she was done, the same small smile still on her lips. I looked back to my hands holding the face of the soldier who'd closed his eyes in exhaustion. Slowly I pulled my hands away, only now noticing all the dried-up blood that clung to my hands. Somehow doing something familiar made me relax, even in a foreign world. But really, I felt hazy and nauseous too.

I must have stared for a while because Elinor called my name in concern. I looked up at her before shaking my head. 'I'm okay, really. I just look like I've slaughtered a whale with my bare hands. I'm gonna clean myself up, I'll be right back.' I said with a tired smile as I walked towards the door on the outside of the temporary infirmary hall. One of the nurses told me that there had been buckets of water placed outside for the cleaning of hands. I saw it immediately and took a few steps towards the bucket standing closest to the door. The water looked a little murky, but it smelt fine. Probably some kind of germ-killing thing in it. While I washed my hands I scraped the bits of dried up blood off my hands and from under my fingernails. After I was finished I dried my hands on a clean towel that hung there, and took a look at myself in the water.

The small drops of sweat caused my unruly hair to stick to my forehead. I had bags under my eyes and blood (and some other stuff that smelt weird) on my shirt and face.

_Damn. _

_I looked like a female terminator. Very sexy._

Grabbing the towel and wiping my face, I took hold of the bucket and dumped its contents into a gutter a few feet away.

Walking back towards the infirmary I saw that every living being in the room did not dare to breathe. Everyone was looking at me as I raised my eyebrows. Then I understood why everyone was looking at me in dread. Because in the middle of the room stood Elmont, and he had never looked more infuriated as he saw me. He looked out of breath, which made me think if he had been looking for me. But what made things even worse for me, was that I was exhausted and in no mood to get a lecture about 'Do what you're bloody told'. I strolled towards Elmont, grabbed his arm and sat his ass down in a chair. At the same time I grabbed some stiches, ointment and a roll of bandage. I placed them on the table next to him, grabbed a chair of my own and grabbed the hand he had stabbed before. The nurses stalked to talk among each other but Elinor waved them off, trying to get them back to work.

I can honestly tell you that in the many awkward silences I have experienced in my entire life, this one had beaten them all. Including the one time I flashed the principal during his speech to my entire high school.

With a sudden surge of sudden confidence I said 'You have a good eye, you sliced through a lot of muscles and only scraped one side of one of the metacarpals with the sword. You'll be-'.

'What, pray tell, did you think you were doing? I told you to get examined, do you make it your life goal to disobey everyone?' Elmont complained, not fazed in the slightest by my compliment.

_We'd have to change that didn't we?_

I grabbed a bottle that stood to my far right, on the table of another patient. I opened the cork, smelt the bottle and spilled it over Elmont's hand.

He hissed in pain as the alcohol killed the germs in the wound on his hand. Placing the bottle back where it stood before, I answered his question.

'I did get examined and I was fine. This is me obeying, which is a miracle in itself! Because really, if you tell me to do something, I'll probably do the opposite sweetheart.'

I glanced his way as I got the stitches ready.

'And I'm a good help. At least that's what Elinor told me.' I said while putting a small needle above a candle next to me to kill the bacteria. As I let the needle cool I saw that Elmont was not as pissed off as I thought he was, probably just worried. He looked tired as well, but his lips twitched upwards a little.

'I have been told the same.' He said as I started on his first stitch.

We had sat in silence for a while as I stitched up the top of his hand. It was a little awkward, but I didn't mind that much.

Elmont coughed after a while, trying to start a conversation. 'I have been talking to King Brahmwell,'

_Gesundheit! What kind of name was that?_

'I have told him you came from the nearby village called Bellham. And that you had followed us up the beanstalk at night. Because you felt the need for an adventure burning away inside you.'.

I snickered at that one.

'Isabelle told his majesty that you helped save her, so you will undoubtedly receive a reward soon. His majesty wants to have a celebration as soon as the castle has been rebuilt.' He said, flinching a little when I finished up the stitch.

_Celebration? Was that all the royals here could think of?_

'Well, hooray and all but.. I really need to go back to where I came from.' I said while cutting the thread with a knife. 'Hate to burst your bubble, but I do not belong here. Not that I appreciate all that stuff, because I do! But I thought that perhaps you know someone who's into voodoo or something? Someone who knows how to bring me back?' I inquired while I gave him a questioning look.

'I am sure we can straighten things out with the help of the King.' He said, but I didn't miss the look in his eyes. Hesitation. 'Until that time you're offered a personal chamber in the far left wing of the castle. It's one of the parts that was not completely demolished by the stalk.'.

After that I asked what exactly had happened out there and what was going to happen to the giants and the stalk. Elmont had told me they were sent back to Gantua (wich was apparently the name of giant-land) and were ordered to cut the stalks from up there. And they were never to return.

_Bloody hell, couldn't Jack order the giants to clean up first? Everything was a mess here!_

Elmont had frowned in confusion when I asked if Jack and Isabelle 'Got it on', but he got the concept. They were allowed to court each other since the King would change the rulebook or something.

But I remained quiet for a while before I flipped his hand and inspected the inside of his hand. 'Well what is going to happen then? If I can never go back?' I questioned as I took some ointment out of a bottle.

'Then I'll personally make sure you will be alright, milady.' He answered, a small smile on his face.

It would have been a touching moment, but my face scrunched up in anger. 'What is it with you and your fancy looking armor? It's ADDY. A-d-d-y. Goddamn. It's not brain surgery!' I said while I applied the ointment on both sides of his hands.

I saw the confusion on his face at my last comment. And I could just hear him thinking in that fancy accent of his: _'What on earth is brain surgery?'_

'If you call me Addy one more time I will hurt you.'

'Ah. Like the last time we were training and you threw a punch at me, missed, tripped over your own feet and stumbled into the dirt? Is that what you are saying?'

'Exactly.' I grumbled, and I started to unroll the bandage. 'Like you've never swung and missed!'.

'Of course I have. A long time ago I dropped my sword and got tripped by Joshamee.'.

…

A laugh bubbled in my throat.

'J-' _snort_ 'J-Joshamee? You got your ass kicked by a guy called Joshamee?' I spluttered while trying to hold my laughter, but failing miserably. He glared at me and I held up my hands in surrender, still not able to hold back a giggle. 'Right. Okay, sorry.'.

I ordered him to hold his hand up while I wrapped the bandage around it. 'I didn't do any stitching on the inside of your hand because it may cause irritation, but anyway, you can't use it for a while.' I muttered while securing the bandage.

'So no sword playing either. And no X-boxing either!'

'What _are_ you wittering on about Addy?'

* * *

So this was a fairly tense situation.

King Bram-something quirked a brow when had stopped looking me over. 'That's the woman?'

'Obviously.' I ground out.

'That is hardly a woman, Elmont. She looks very young.' He stated blandly as he turned to Elmont standing to the left of me.

So here's a short explanation: After I fixed up Elmont I had wanted to return to Elinor's side, but she turned me away. Told me I had to get some sleep after all this, but that I was welcome in the morning if I wished. And yes, I did like that very much. Working here gave me a feeling of home. There was something I could do in this unfamiliar world. Elmont, who looked even more tired now, offered to show me where my room was. I, ofcourse, accepted since I had no idea where everything was. And while we were on our way I tried to explain the concept of 'computer' to Elmont. Which he didn't get. I think I lost him somewhere along Nyancat because now he only responded with 'Oh really' and 'That's nice Addy'. And now we had run into his majesty when we turned a corner. And here we are. On with the story!

'Yes sire. I am apologizing in advance for any inappropriate things that she will most likely say within the next 10 minutes.' Elmont answered while taking a small step backwards.

_What, does everyone think I can't talk?_

I ground my teeth 'I am twenty-five years old and standing directly in front of you, sire. You could talk to me instead.'

Elmont closed his eyes and looked physically pained. I wish you could have seen it, because it was** very **amusing to see.

King what-the-fuck didn't look very impressed with me. 'Twenty-five years of age? So you are already married.'

_Oh for batman's sake._

'What is it with this place and marriage?' I said while I gave (what I had hoped) a disbelieving look. 'No, I am not married and I am not planning to be either!'.

I'll say it again: you should have seen the face of Elmont because King Blabla still wasn't impressed. 'She's a girl with character, I didn't expect anything else.' he continued. Briefly I wondered what he had been expecting, but the King started again. 'Tell me young lady, where do you hail from?' He questioned while his gaze left me.

_Er. Fuck. I had forgotten. Something with a -ham in it. Oh no! Sassy-Addy! Why have you forsaken me you stupid bitch?_

Elmont came to my rescue as I was stumped at what to say. 'I do apologize Sire, miss Addy is quite tired as you can see. With your permission your highness, I would escort her to her chamber so this conversation may be continued tomorrow.'.

_Heh. Who even spoke like that anymore?_

I knew King Bra-whatever didn't buy it, but he waved us off in the end. Obviously quite tired himself. Poor dude in gold-armor.

Elmont took a short bow, grabbed my arm and lead me in the opposite direction with quite some speed.

_My, someone was eager._

'What are you trying to get rid of me for so fast? Oh! Can I ask you a question?'

Cue Elmont's sigh.

Naturally, I took this as a yes.

'So, if somebody offered you a thousand gold pieces if you shaved your head, would you do it?' I asked, this being the most appropriate question I could think of.

'Is this what you do in your free time?'

'Answer it Elmont. I need to know. This is a matter of life or hair.'

'One thousand gold pieces?' he said while scrunching up his eyebrows.

'Yes, that's what I said.'

'I am certain I could double that amount.' He answered with a smile when we turned a corner.

'Oho_ho_! Think that high of yourself? Get someone to pay two-thousand gold pieces for your pretty locks? You old crook.'

'I'm supposing that's an insult?'

'It might have been.'.

When Elmont halted I actually didn't notice, so I had walked on happily. Only when he had whistled I noticed he had stopped before a door. I skipped back, suddenly in a better mood, as he opened the door.

I walked inside and took in the view. It was a room with a bed, a closet, a bath and a small fireplace. It was so much bigger than my place in London. Everything was painted in a bright color and were decorated with all kinds of impressive things. On the floor was a carpet with all kinds of embroideries in red, yellow and green. Ugliest carpet I'd ever seen.

And I didn't like the room. **Not at all**. It felt cold and it was like I wasn't allowed to touch anything. Standing in that enormous room made me feel like the odd one out.

'I hope it is to your liking, even though it is one of the smallest rooms here.' Elmont started, clearly wanting to leave.

I turned around and I opened my mouth to flat-out lie. I wanted to say something as 'No, it's great! Biggest room I've ever seen dude!' or 'This feels like Paris Hilton's room! I'm like a bloody princess!'. But instead I swallowed and chuckled a little, suddenly very interested in the carpet underneath my all-stars.

The uncomfortable silence was back _tenfold_.

After a few moments Elmont bid me goodnight and I mouthed a thanks. He shut the door and after a while I could hear his footsteps echoing down the hall.

I was dirty, bloody and smelly. And yet, all I could do was fall onto the bed. Closing my eyes immediately, snoring like the uncivilized-gorilla I felt like.


	10. Aladdin, dresses and horses

**Well, this is kind of a short filler chapter. Another character is introduced here! You don't have to like them all, that's okay! There is no Elmont in here, but there will be in the next one! I promise :) **

* * *

_Sitting on the couch hidden in warm blankets with rain gently tapping on the windows next to me. Warm tea and cookies. Knitted scarves and a bath with bubbles. The feeling of grass between toes and the smell of the earth after the rain. Snowflakes dancing through the air and Friday mornings._

The dreams I had were about the things I loved dearly. Simple things, but they somehow made me better rested until my mother decided to shake my shoulder.

'gowayomimtillleepy' I grumbled while snuggling deeper into my pillows. Which smelt like blueberries for some reason.

Another shake, slightly more inpatient.

'Sweet lord mum, let me sleep.' I said as I swatted the hand away.

'Lady Pitsman. Please wake up.'

I groaned as I turned around. 'You sound peculiar today ma..' sleepy blinking 'Did you take helium instead of coffee this morni-'. I looked into the bright green eyes of a woman with bright blond hair.

…

…

Oh.

'Good morning Lady Pitsman, I am Alemandrina. ' _Say what? _'King Brahmwell has assigned me as your maid during your stay here. '. She was beautiful and slender but her voice was tight and very high. She fitted this room better than I did. It felt like I was sleeping in her room or something.

'U-huh. And uh.. what time is it?' I muttered while sitting up, still not completely sure where I was. _God_ I was hungry. Why was I this hungry?

'The sun has been up for a while, so in all probability it is little over 8 o'clock on the third day you've been here. '

I looked at her wide-eyed and blinked.

'Come again?'

'The sun has been up for-'

'No not that! The third day?'

Ale-something looked a little bothered, as if being my maid was the worst job in the world.

'Yes milady, you have been asleep for 2 nights and one day since your arrival in Cloister. We did try to wake you.' She said while taking me in.

My, if that was true I must've been a sight for sour eyes. I probably looked more like crap then ever.

'Now, I have put some hot water on. Would you like me to run you a bath Lady Pitsman?'And as expected she scrunched up her nose in a way that said :_ because you sure as hell need one you smelly pig._

'…Uh. Yes please.' I muttered, nodding in thanks while I shook off the covers.

Ale-… Shall we just call her Aladdin? It's easier. Aladdin strode out of the room I was staying in with such grace that even Grace Kelly couldn't pull off. Thankfully, the room was now empty. So now I could look at myself in a mirror without tall and beautiful Aladdin looking over my shoulder. Stepping out of bed I began my search for a mirror. I found it. And. Oh man. Words cannot describe the way I had looked, so let's just skip that part. Partially because I too jumped away from the mirror as soon as I saw my reflection.

Aladdin came back in with a couple of other girls who carried buckets of hot water, and dumped them into the tub at my feet.. Maids apparently.

Great. More people to see smelly Addy.

The last maid came in with some towels with a questioning look, Aladdin pointed to the edge of the bed. The towels were placed on the bed and my bath was full.

It smelled like flowers, how nice. On me it would smell horrible. I'd smell like a little baby prostitute~

'Your bath is ready Lady Pitsman. If you would hand me your clothes while you undress behind the dressing screen, I will clean them for you.' Aladdin spoke, while she dismissed the other maids. 'Is there anything else I may assist you in?' She continued.

_No Grumpy, thanks._

'No thanks Al- .. Ale-'

She left without correcting me.

_Who pissed in her corn flakes?_

Well, ladies and gentleman. Let me tell you, there were days were I forgot to shower in London (only for one day, I promise). But I didn't shower for more than 3 days here, so upon ridding myself of my dirty clothes (except for Jack's jacket which I put apart with the towels) and sinking into the water…

Words could not describe the feeling man. I almost began sobbing. Really. I went down 3 times, scrubbing my face and my skin raw. Hell, I didn't even stop when I heard Aladdin come in to fetch my clothes.

Of course she too held up my bra in confusion, which made me snort as I just waved it off as nothing. After she was gone I re-did the whole process until my skin saw red. Scrubbing my head with the soap next to me (which also smelt like bloody flowers.) I ducked my head beneath the water again, noticing that the water was getting cooler. And clouded with the dirt I had dragged with me since I landed into shit-ville up in the sky.

I sat back into the tub, thinking how I should shave my legs and armpits. It was okay now, but within a few days I would be hairier than Chewbacca.

_Hey! It's a normal thing! Don't judge me._

Maybe I could nick Howard's blade or something. Ha. Shaving my legs with a machete would look pretty cool too. Could be a scene in a Tarantino movie or something! Right?

Looking around first, I stepped out of the tub, walked over to the bed (NAKED) and grabbed a towel before jumping back behind the big pink and frilly dressing screen. Just in time too, because Aladdin came back. And I didn't fancy showing my butt in front of a goddess today. Throwing 3 dresses over the screen, she walked back towards the door.

'U-uhm hey!' I said while sticking my head from behind the dressing screen, trying to stop her. She turned around with eyebrows raised.

'Do you only have dresses? Could I maybe get some pants and a shirt or something?'

'D-Do you mean slacks lady Pitsman?' She said, shock clear on her angelic face. God she was like the Barbie-doll I never had. 'I am afraid not miss, it is accustomed that ladies wear dresses. But if you prefer I could find you a dress easier to move around in. Would that be to your liking lady Pitsman?' she asked as she started for the pleated, pretty, laced and fancy dresses. I would look horrible in them.

'Yes please Al-… Ala-'

_Aaaand she was gone with the dresses. Maybe she even thought her name was awful._

I dried myself but having no underwear or anything, I just waited for Aladdin to come back. Finally the door opened as 2 maids came in, shutting the door softly behind them. One was carrying a simple and straight blue dress. Nothing fancy. Just a dress.

Well I could bore you to death with all the details, but they tried to help me getting the dress on. Which really wasn't necessary, I am not a toddler! They insisted but I am a tough cookie. So started a war between the maids and miss Addy. And so the commotion was heard by a person currently wandering down the hallway. The sound of uproar disturbed the poor individual, and he decided to knock on the door. He was greeted by two angry maids leaving the room, grumbling and mumbling among themselves.

'What are you doing behind there?'.

'Fighting dinosaurs.' I grumbled, throwing the dress over my head after I put my underwear on (thank god they gave me my own panties back, and not one of those bloomers.).

'What's up Howard my boy?' I said while I jumped from behind the dressing screen. 'Pretty sexy huh. I could totally dazzle your ass!' I said in a low voice as I took a pose. Howard had a wry smile on his lips, 'Are you always this odd miss Addy?'.

Not bothering to answer that question, I looked at him expectantly. He didn't seem to get my 'What-do-you-want?' gaze. Cute little bugger.

After hobbling from one foot to another, he finally got it. 'Oh! Right. Miss Addy, I am your assigned guardian!'.

I huffed.

'Wow. That king must not like me at all. Do I really look that incompetent?'

'It was not the kings orders, miss.'

I lifted an eyebrow at that.

'Really?'

He stayed silent. Still shuffling.

'Well, who was it?'

* * *

'That son of a cracker!' I swore as I trudged towards the infirmary, Howard at my side.

'I-I promise you, sir Elmont has the best intentions.' Howard puffed, a little out of breath because of the angry strides I had taken.

I halted. 'So you just take me from my room to the infirmary, is that it?'. Howard stopped too, looking at me expectantly. 'Yes madam. But also to the banquet tonight! It will be a great feast in the square in honor of Jack!'. He almost glowed with happiness. Seriously, I would not be surprised if he started to soar to the sky. The parties must be wild here.

A slight pause.

'Oh, Howard don't smile like that my dear. If an innocent girl saw you on the streets where I'm from smiling like that.. Well, she'd throw her panties at you without a second glance!'

_That_ certainly put him off track. 'They _do_ that in Bellham?'. _Oh right._

I shrugged 'I'm kidding. Most of the time they simply-', I stopped in my tracks. Gazing at the site behind him with utter horror.

'Miss Addy? Wha-'.

It was an old and cheap trick. I admit. And I honestly did not think it would work. But this was Howard and this was Cloister. This was the place where people didn't know the tricks of the future. So I am allowed to cheat. Simply put: I disappeared before the poor boy could turn back to me. I said it once, and I will say it again: I do **not** need a babysitter. Elmont is **not** my mommy.

Not really knowing where I was going, I simple ran in random direction. Finally fleeing inside a barn which smelt like hay and mud.

I bolted the door and tried to catch my breath until I heard whinnying. Scared the living crap out of me, so I gave a very loud yelp. They kept horses in here? The sound I gave caught the attention of the other human being in the barn that I hadn't noticed before.

…

We shared a moment.

Not the kind of moment with Celine Dion music in the background either. That's just weird. Knock it off.

'What are you doing Addy?' Jack smiled while he continued to pet the horse next to him. Not in the least surprised of me barging into places I had no business. He knew me already… we're connecting~

'Hiding.' I breathed, not having caught my breath yet. 'You?'.

'Same.' He exhaled. He stepped towards me, only now noticing my new wardrobe. 'Nice.' He chuckled as I sent him a look. 'Right back at you.' I replied at seeing his attire.

'So. Who are you hiding from Jackie? New fans? You're pretty famous now, aren't ya?' I said as I sat on a stool nearby. Jack leaned on the door, looking thoughtful. 'You tell me something, I tell you something Addy.'.

_Heh. I liked his style._ 'I'm running from my babysitter. Elmont's gonna whoop my ass when he finds out. And you?'.

'From cooks, tailor, performers.. and just..' He never finished that sentence though, but I could guess. '..from Isabelle? Trouble in paradise?' I questioned, swinging back and forth on the stool. 'No! Of course not, she's an angel! She is!' I raised a brow. 'But.. planning an event is not my best quality, I admit.' He added quietly while staring at the hay covered floor.

'Jackie, sweetheart. It's fine. From what I know,' I stood up at this point 'Isabelle is an understanding young lady and everything. Just tell her.. Don't go planning it… if.. if ya don't want to. But you should tell her. Because otherwise.. you'll just be…me.'.

'Escaping the wrath of your babysitter?'.

'Yes.' I deadpanned, playing with a few strands of hay between my fingers. I suddenly laughed out loud 'But they'll never catch me! I'll seduce Howard and Elmont with my awkwardness ~'.

Jack let out a chuckle, although I knew he didn't fully understand most of what I was saying.

'You go out first.'

'What? I was here first Addy.'

'So? That is not a valid argument sir.'

'What, if I may ask miss Pitsman, is yours?' Another voice brought in.

_Oh crap._

Jack laughed while I bolted in the other direction. I noticed it was a dead-end and I turned around, putting the biggest smile I could manage on my face.

'Now now boys. Surely you will not threaten a lady in the presence of the giant-slayer?' I chuckled nervously while Howard and another knight I haven't seen before approached me.

But I have been wrong before.


	11. Ground Control to Major Tom

**Good lord. This chapter has been a bitch. I wanted to post this yesterday, but I changed it at least 3 times before I was happy. But here ya go! Enjoy!**

* * *

This had to be one of the most embarrassing moments in my life. Including flashing the principal and that I walked around Gantua with a see-through top.

It was in the dead of night in a castle which was lighted by torches. Stars were scattered in the sky and all that romantic crap, and here I was. Slung over Elmont's shoulder like a bag of flour and I was singing Space Oddity in a very bad David Bowie accent.

Eh. Yeah..

Let's just… Let me take you back from where we left off.

* * *

Alright, so: Howard and his henchman had to pull me out of the barn, me yelling 'Betrayer!' at Jack (who simply snickered… bastard.). Unknown knight and Howard had given me a choice: Get to the infirmary quietly, or stay in my chambers for the rest of the day. I asked if McDonalds was an option, because I would kill for a cheeseburger right now. I haven't had breakfast yet!

Howard did not think this was funny and asked me one last time if I would behave. I am not 4 years old damnit! I did however nod silently with a scowl on my face.

When I arrived at the infirmary with two bodyguards on my side, Elinor only let out a quiet laugh. Apparently she was busy with the check-ups and a lot of the beds were already empty. Some soldiers had gone home, some were dead. I decided not to think of it too much as I walked towards one of the empty beds. Admittedly, I was just happy I hadn't been there. At the hospital where I did my internship I never saw somebody die yet. And I hoped I never would

Gathering the dirty sheets in my hands, I asked where I could leave them. Elinor pointed to a big basket in the far right corner.

'You were in good company today , Addy?' Elinor said while she started to help me with the bedspreads.

'I have made it a rule to not be intimidated by any man wearing leather pants.' I beamed. This earned me a few chuckles from some of the other nurses.

'Not even the captain of the royal guard?' One of the nurses (who carried some bloody pieces of cloth) asked while passing by.

Elinor raised a brow at me, but continued gathering the messed-up sheets. 'Why would Elmont be an exception?' I queried. The nurse stopped and turned to me.

'If I may be so bold, you did handle him quite outlandishly yesterday miss Pitsman.' The nurse continued, looking at me as if I was hiding secrets of the state.

'Ha! I did not **handle** him differently than I would have any other patient!'.

'You should.' Elinor interrupted while sending the other nurse off. 'Captain Elmont is a very wealthy and respected man in Cloister. Had already slain a lot of men by the time he was your age. Giving him any kind of attitude would send you straight down into the dungeon!'.

'So imagine our surprise when you simply grabbed the poor man, and started stitching his sword-hand without his consent.' The same nurse asked, not being able to help herself on joining in on the conversation.

_All eyes on me._

'… **He** wasn't complaining.' I muttered, not liking the attention _at all_. My stomach gave a loud growl. 'Do we have anything to eat here?' I continued, desperate to change the subject. Elinor nodded towards a loaf of bread the patients had been offered that sat on a table to my right.

The nurse however, was not planning on letting this go. 'Of course he wasn't! He is a very well-mannered knight! And you shouldn't even be allowed to just barge in here in the first p-'

'Sister Gwendolyn. Enough.' Elinor interrupted while sending her a stern look. 'Miss Addy is volunteering, and we can use all the help we can get. Until we get a complaint from sir Elmont himself, she is welcome to stay. Now, seeing as you're doing absolutely nothing. You can get Miss Pitsman a plate, some of the bread lying on the table and some milk.'.

_Queen Elinor the sassy everyone._

'Go on now, she is hungry.' Elinor shot towards the still dumbstruck nurse Gwendolyn. The nurse hurried out of the room soon enough though.

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

'Don't let it bother you too much dearie. Captain Elmont is a one of the most eligible unmarried men in Cloister. Naturally the ladies would claw each other's eyes out to get to go on an adventure with the man. Jealousy is not uncommon here.' Elinor had said while placing the dirty sheets inside a big basket.

It was my turn to raise my eyebrows, 'Why? That adventure wasn't fun at all.'. I was a little red in the face though, I could feel it. Not because I was in love with the guy or something! It was just that the fact that people where imagining him and me together on a romantic adventure in giant-land was.. weird. That kind of attention was making me feel iffy.

_…Shut up._

Thank God that Elinor could sense my awkwardness and she shut up about it. Bless her.

'Go bring this to the washing room a few blocks from here, dearie.' Elinor said as she handed me the basket with piled up bed-sheets. I gave her a confused look but she grabbed my shoulders, turned me around and gave me a short push towards the door.

'Keep on going right until you reach a blue door, then you turn left, go inside the building and walk for about 10 meters. Then it's the second door to your left.'

God, I was bad at directions. But it was an escape. Because I was not in the mood for all the envious and accusing glances being sent my way. I might blow up at them or something… Or throw a perfect punch their way, with my thumbs outside my palms of course.

I put the basket down when nurse Gwendolyn came in with a mug and a plate. Grabbing the piece of bread out of her hands, I took a huge bite. After that I took the mug of milk, which I drank way too fast. Giving a quick salute to the other nurses, I grabbed the basket and was on my way.

It might not be surprising to hear that I indeed got lost a few times, even after asking for directions. And really, carrying that bloody basket the entire way was not funny. It was heavy as shit and it smelled like shit. It was probably shit.

After bumping into the third person today with the basket (because it blocked my vision. Stupid basket from hell..) I cussed.

'Watch your language, girl.'.

'And you better watch your ass. Because my foot will be up in it before you can say 'Fuckthathurts'.'.

I trudged on, seriously tired. Pausing only next to the person to give him 'the eye', before I passed him by.

… hm.

That was Elmont.

… hm.

Just peachy.

…just flippin' peachy.

…

I twitched.

'Who's castle do I have to storm before I find that bloody laundry room?!' I almost yelled smashing the basket onto the floor dramatically. Its contents almost spilling over the floor. Not that the sheets could get any dirtier, but still. With a sigh and an intense glare I ran my hands through my hair while looking at the bloody mess in front of me.

My head still tilted towards the ground, I flicked my eyes up at Elmont who had not moved from his spot. He merely stood there, a hand covering his mouth as if to hide a smile but in his eyebrow were raised in curiosity.

That pissed me off even more.

Getting down on my knees I grabbed the bed-sheets that had fallen out of the basket and placed them back. Clutching the basket in my hands, I stood up again.

I took precisely one gracious step before I fell onto the dirty bed linens with a sound that most resembled some kind of animal in need. 'I am exhausted. And it is barely 10 o'clock.' I sighed in exhaustion.

'It is almost noon.'

_Groan._

'Let me lie here in peace, Elmont. Let me gather dust and dirt until the earth will finally slowly consume me.' I said, sprawling myself over the bed linens on the basket.

There was a deafening silence for what seemed to be ages. Not that I cared. But I heard footsteps all of a sudden and a door opening. Not being able to help myself, my head had raised in order for me to see where Elmont had gone.

He was standing a few feet away from me, his foot holding the door open while one of his fingers pointed to the room inside.

…

I decided to hang my head in shame and exhaustion.

Another silent moment and more footsteps until I could see the points of leather boots under my nose. I huffed as I was hauled to my feet (quite violently might I add). After that Elmont pushed the basket back into my hands once again. And for the second time that day my shoulders were grabbed, I was turned around and gently pushed towards the door. I looked at Elmont before I reached the door and muttered a thank you. He only shot me look and walked off.

The room I had entered was indeed the laundry room. A lot of people where working their butts off by scrubbing linens and clothes. After I stated my name and the location where the linens where from, I was ordered to leave the basket on the floor. And before I knew it I was outside again.

This was going to be a long day.

* * *

Let's just say it took me a long time to get back to Elinor too. She might have noticed that sending me to places I didn't know wasn't the greatest thing to do.

She kept me in the infirmary all day. Not doing all of the heroic–shit I've done before, but the work that resembled the work of a nurse back home. So I changed the sheets, helped people get in and out of bed, fed the patients and checked some of the wounds.

As I was washing my hands one of the nurses came up to me. Her unruly red hair in a braid and a kind smile on her round face. She told me the hole in the roof of the old infirmary has been rebuilt now, and the rubble has been removed. We had to return some of the patients to that place, to create more space.

So all of the sudden I was carrying half-dead people from one place to another as well.

After that I was hungry again, I had to pee and I was almost falling asleep. Before I could mouth a complaint, a heavy hand was placed on my shoulder. People should seriously stop doing that. I turned around and looked at Howard with a sluggish expression

'Came to retrieve me sweetheart?' I sighed when Howard gave me a smile.

'I came to get you ready, there's a feast you have to attend milady!'

And there it was, his happy puppy attitude.

'Right. I was thinking… instead of going right away, I'd prefer maybe… you know… **not** going at all.' I turned around. 'It would take me two hours to name all the reasons not to go. So let's just skip that, and let me go to my room.'

'And I only need one reason to take you there nonetheless. Now do I have to carry you to your room to get ready forcefully, or will you be a good girl and follow me there.'

I gave him a glare as cold as the State of Alaska.

'I might add that if you decide otherwise, I will carry you over my shoulder to the feast right now and keep you there permanently for the entire night.'

_Fair enough._

* * *

'What?'

'Pardon milady?' one of the maids countered while she was busy with my hair.

'You have been smiling quietly this whole time since I came in, is there something the matter?' I asked while picking at the pale underdress I had been given.

'Pardon me milady, I was just thinking of the banquet tonight.'

This made me smile a little, because it was probably a lie. I love hearing people lie when I know the truth. The rumor about me man-handling the captain of the guard had spread, but until now I had pretended not to notice. I would just let the flame burn out on its own..

'Wasn't it supposed to be after the castle had been rebuilt? Because from what I've seen, it has been blown to Kingdom come.' I questioned.

She put another pin in my hair 'Why yes, of course milady! This is only a banquet! The real feast will still be held when the castle is in its best condition.'

I swallowed. Don't these people ever stop partying?

'Well, what am I supposed to do in this banquet tonight?' I questioned her again.

'Milady has never been to a banquet before?' She countered.

'I-I never paid attention really.'

'Well, the honored guest opens the banquet after sundown. Then you can eat, drink, talk, dance and watch the performers. It's usually quite a merry gathering, milady.'

'Just Addy please.' I said just as she finished my hair.

She stood before me and gave me a once-over. Apparently she was happy about her work, because she gave me a smile and headed for the dark blue satin dress Aladdin had picked out for me. Was blue my color or something?

The maid asked me to stand up and helped me get on the dress. 'You look very beautiful miss Addy. Eyes will be watching tonight, a lot of people want to meet the woman who saved the princess!'

I chuckled. Boy. Where they in for a surprise. I am as charming as a sock.

* * *

Outside it was warm, torches burning bright and casting a warm glow on the tiles of the square. The smell of food being prepared was delicious and the sound of fiddles playing was quite enjoyable. But sitting there next to Isabelle made me feel very awkward. I sat among royalty with my hair in a stupid braid and a too-fancy-for-Addy dress. The people (probably important people with their wives and children by the look of their outfits..) where casting glances my way, but none where malicious. Just mildly curious I guess.

'Mind if I sit here?' a familiar voice to my left asked me.

An unintelligent 'Uh.' Left my mouth, but I recovered quickly. 'Sure.'.

Howard took a seat next to me, which I found odd because he was a knight and stuff. I mean Elmont was there sitting next to jack, but I didn't see any other knights around. Probably because Howard was still my babysitter and Elmont did not trust me not to do anything stupid this night.

_Understandable._

'If I may be so bold Miss Addy, how old are you?' Howard asked me. 'That is a very rude question to ask a girl sir Howard,' I snorted, but answered his question anyway '25.'.

'Ah. So then you already are m-'

'Be careful how you finish that sentence.'

Suddenly I saw Jack stand up to the right of me, all quiet conversation had instantly stopped. Turning my head I could see him better while he gave his speech. It was quite cute really.

He mentioned the names of the knights who had died in Gantua, being forever in their dept. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a few people raising their glass at that point. Sitting on the right beside Jack I noticed Elmont twitching slightly at hearing the names of his companions. His friends who had passed away. Suddenly detecting King Brahmwell's eyes (I finally remembered his name. WOW.) looking at me, I diverted mine back to Jack. He said he couldn't have saved the princess without the help of Elmont, who had given him a place into the royal guard. 'And of course I owe my thanks to Lady Addy Pitsman. Where would I be today without this witty and charming young lady? But even though her bravery was beyond my expectations, I do still want my jacket back milady.' People chuckled and I turned beet red.

'I want to give a toast to these brave people, princess Isabelle and to King Brahmwell who we owe so much.'

Glasses clinked and people started to sip the wine in their glasses. The wine was fruity and tangy. And I liked it. The food started coming in at that the moment, and by God. Elmont hadn't been lying about its awesomeness. Pies, smoked fish, roasted lamb, all kinds of soups, breads, cakes and all other things I didn't recognize where placed on the table in front of me. Steam rised up from the dishes into the warm night sky while the fiddles started playing again.

I don't remember how much I ate but it was good. Very good. And I had wanted to taste everything at least once.

_Don't judge me. You would too._

Wanting nothing more than to get gloriously fat by all this food (seriously, I wouldn't care if I died right then.), I barely heard Howard's question.

Swallowing a piece of tomato I turned my head to his direction. Taking another gulp of wine (I can't remember how many glasses I had that night.) I smiled happily. 'What's wrong Howard my dear?'.

He gave me a grin, clearly amused by my tipsy behavior. 'I said: would you like to dance miss Addy?'.

I choked in the wine with as much grace as I possessed (which wasn't much). This alarmed princess Isabelle and she cast me a worried look, patting me awkwardly on the back. After my coughing-feast I looked at Howard 'I-' _cough_ '-I don't know how.'.

Being the big teddy-bear he was, he cast me a smile. 'That is alright miss Addy, I will teach you. We'll go slow, I promise.'.

I cast him an unsure look.

'A knight's honor.' He continued while he crossed his heart and held out his other hand.

Then, word-vomit: 'Whatever tickles your pickle man.'. But only now I noticed the eyes of the royal family plus Elmont's and Jack's on me and Howard.

_WHYWHYWHYWHYWHY_

Casting me a disbelieving smile, Howard simply took my hand and guided me into the dancing crowd.

It took a lot of time, plus a lot of Howard's toes before I could actually manage to dance. And I admit, it had been quite fun! Howard was really a kind person if you looked beyond the baby-sitting thing. He was always smiling and putting up with all my inappropriate bantering. And when we finally headed back to my chair I had found myself another bro.

While I started to sip on the wine again, I looked around the table for more things I could eat.

'Lady Pitsman, are you friends with my daughter?' King Brahmwell said, catching me off guard.

I swallowed the wine 'I guess so...sir.'.

'Would that be the reason you are currently on her seat?'

I jumped up out of the chair and looked around for Isabelle, finding here dancing with Jack. Muttering a thousand apologies I quickly scooted into the seat I was in first. Geez. Like I care about how many royal asses have sat in that chair. They had looked cute though, Jack and Isabelle swaying to the music.

A slightly cooler breeze had swept over my face. It was late into the night and I was tired, but I really didn't know if it was okay to say: 'Farewell and adieu my darlings!'. Chuckling I took another drink as I dreamily watched the dancing pairs in the middle of the square.

My vision was getting fuzzy when Howard had asked my for another dance, but I only chuckled saying that he was very pretty. I had never felt so good in my life! Screw London, I could stay in the medieval town forever! Howard kept talking to me about his family and the things he encountered as a knight, laughing as I swayed from one side to the other. Wanting to take another sip I saw a hand covering the top of it. I looked very confused, not getting who that hand had belonged to.

'Sir Howard, do you not know when a lady has had enough wine for a day?' a man in a fancy accent said.

I tried to focus my vision on his face while they had their conversation

'Captain, I can assure you I was not aware-'

'I can see that. All I am asking is why.'

Feeling Howard shifting, I had noticed he had been sitting very close to me.

'My apologies captain.'

'Howard has the hots for me.' I chuckled when I finally figured out the voice belonged to Elmont.

'And so do you apparently, because here you are fighting for my honor!' I laughed while I placed my hands under my chin.

I didn't really object when Elmont had taken me by the arm and muttered an excuse to the King. Swaying on my feet I waved at Jack as he was still dancing with his princess. When he waved back, Elmont had already dragged me off. He had only got as far as 15 meters though, catching my elbow just in time before I toppled over.

Grabbing the hand that was holding my upright, I looked at his face with a frown. I was being silent for a while, blinking dreamily before I uttered 'I am smashed, sweetheart. '.

'You are indeed very intoxicated.' Elmont corrected while compelling me to walk to the hallway which lead to the castle. I batted him away, stumbling again, holding myself up by a candle votive and sliding down unto the floor.

'Why did you trip me Elmont?'.

'Good lord.' He sighed while leaning against the wall. Not quite sure what to do with me.

'Did you know you talk in a Sswh..Swhakespearian way? It would be very sexy if you said nice things to me for once.' I chuckled, still sitting onto the floor.

By now he had crouched before me and grabbed my arms, pulling me up straight. And a short silence fell between us.

'Are you trying to seduce me sir Elmont?' I said while my face crinkled into a look of intense contemplation.

He sighed with a small hint of a chuckle, while carefully putting me over his shoulder (perhaps he was scared I would throw up on him if he wasn't gentle, or something.). Elmont had only walked for 10 second before I started again.

'Your hair needs its own fan club. Like… seriously.'. I stated while clutching his black tunic.

'That's nice Addy.'.

'Yes… Do you know David Bowie? 'Cause he could.. totally take this party to a whole new level.'.

Suddenly I spread my arms, making Elmont struggle to hold me upright.

'This is Major Tom to Ground Controool! I'm stepping through the dooooor. And I'm floating in a most peculiar way! And the stars look very different todahahay~'_._

'Why Howard let you drink that much, is beyond me really.'.

'I'm a free woman, mister Anderson.' I said before I squeaked when he turned a corner.

'Ah. You must be infatuated with sir Howard then.' He abruptly said.

This caught me off guard, but it didn't stop me from answering 'He likes me.'

This made Elmont laugh, and not a nice laugh either. It was kind of… harsh. 'And that's what I mean. Do you even know what you're saying young miss Addy?'

I glared at his back 'What? Is he your hubby or sumthin?'

Choosing to ignore my comment, he turned another corner. That made me give another squeak as I fought to find my balance.

'Sir Howard is a knight of the royal guard Addy, do you think it is his duty to woo pretty girls during the night?'

'Of course not, you're just jealous because he learned me how to dance.'

'Well I thank you for that lesson lady Pitsman, that is news to me.' His shoulder were getting tense and he used my last name. He was getting increasingly irritated. 'I'm curious to know what earth you expect me to do with this information.'

'You tell me. I'm not the one carrying said-girl to her room, am I?'

_Being drunk had turned me into a royal sass-queen._

'Full of good questions today aren't you?' he said while hoisting me further over his shoulder 'I think you've once again proven that you are far from a lady.'.

_Silence._

'…So by your definition you are carrying a man to his chambers?'.

Snort.

I tried to change the subject the best way that I could while he carried me to my room. But I had been quite intoxicated.

'Your bum looks awesome from up here.'


	12. Whywhywhywhywhy?

**School had started! So now you can expect a weekly update instead of a daily update!**

**I can honestly tell you, this has been the crappiest day for me in a lifetime. Stupid school. I have to make a report about who I think is the worst student and best student in my class, I'm thinking of skipping it. Also: people had to make a decision who wanted to join my group for an assignment (we had to make groups of 3 but we only had 2 people). They just let me stand there on my own while discussing how terrible it would be to be paired up with me! Bitches… :C**

**Anyway: here's another chapter, not as long as the last one but a chapter none the less.**

**Answering-reviews-time!**

**Guest: Thank you my dear! Though I highly doubt I'm the greatest fanfic writer :)! I actually thought about the idea of Addy having a sister, but I decided to let her have a brother instead.**

**BlackCatDemon133: I appreciate the appreciation! Drunk characters are always very fun to write!**

**Shewolf-skittles-twist: Thank you! I'm glad it made you laugh!**

**PaddySnuffles: Thank you! It was so hard to imagine how Elmont would've reacted to this situation. He might be a little jealous~  
And yes. Howard is going to get shit. :D**

* * *

Does anyone even raise and shine in the morning? What the flying hell does that even mean: 'rise and shine'? Only people with sick minds make that kind of shit up.

I had a hangover. Badly.

Not that I'd never had them before, trust me on this. But this one was really **really** bad. My mouth was dry, my muscles ached, I had a headache, my head felt like it had been turned to stone and I felt sweaty and feeble.

Thanking the lord that the curtains had been closed when I had opened my eyes. The sun was up already and I knew I had awoken later than yesterday. Just as I wondered why Aladdin and her flock hadn't come in yet, I saw a pot of tea standing on the drawer next to me. It was still warm when I touched the pot and immediately I poured the tea into the cup next to me.

Only when the warm tea had touched my lips I realized how thirsty I was. I could drink at least three of these pots!

Oh gosh… what else helps? Uh… painkillers… Vitamin C…fruit.. protein rich food. God, had my head been this heavy since I was born?

'Lady Pitsman, are you up already?'

I almost dropped the tea when Aladdin spoke up and two maids opened the curtains.

Hissing like a vampire, I dove back under the sheets. Tea forgotten on the table.

'Come now, I will run you a bath and some breakfast.' Aladdin spoke while tugging the sheets away from my body.

Was it just me, or was Aladdin exceptionally harsh today? She was kind of pissing me off a little more than usual.

Groaning when I got up I noticed the buckets of warm water that were brought into the room. Looking Aladdin dead in the face, I asked the question I did not want to hear the answer to.

'How badly did I embarrass myself last night?'

* * *

'Oh my god' I moaned while I put on the same plain blue dress as before. I wanted to die when Aladdin had told me Elmont had carried me to my room in the middle of the night. Me passed out over his shoulder before he and some other maids helped me into the bed.

I was mortified when I thought of all the things I might have said to him… or any other person! Why had I been there at the first place? I didn't want to go, I thought it was a bad idea! And why couldn't I remember how much wine I had drunk, who I had talked to and who was sitting next to me? Why couldn't I remember anything at all?!

A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. Putting on weird and flat shoes that Aladdin had given me, I opened the door.

…

'Who the hell are you?' I asked, seeing an unfamiliar man in armor in front of me.

'Your appointed guardian Lady Pitsman.'

_Red hair, hand-me-down clothes and a stupid complexion… He must be a Weasley!_

I sighed. 'Oh god, please leave and get me Howard.'.

'Did I offend you mila-'

'No. Get me Howard and go away.'

'But milady, I am-'

'Get. Me. Howard.'

'Milady-'

'Sod off!' I roared while I shut the door in his face.

I hadn't meant to be that rude today, but I was in a foul mood and had a bad hangover. I was allowed to be a little pissy. Somehow I had wanted to see Howard. I missed having a friendly face around, even if he was my babysitter.

Sitting on my bed again I looked outside. It was very sunny.. It was probably on the verge of summer. Which reminded me, what day was it today? My brothers birthday was in summer. I wonder what he was doing now..

Another knock on the door and I opened it again.

…

'Wow.' I muttered unintelligible while looking him over. The knight from before standing next to him with a brooding look on his face. He probably thought I would not leave my room without Howard. And he was right.

…

'What the hell happened to you?' I questioned while I rose a brow at Howard.

The reason for my surprise was quite simple. He looked like he had run 5 marathons and had wrestled 9 elephants to the ground. His face was red and beads of sweat rolled from his temple to his chin. His clothes were ruffled and I was pretty sure he had been swimming too. There were dark patches on his shirt where he hadn't dried himself completely.

And… was his shirt inside out?

'Lady-' _huff _–Addy. You called for me?' The poor boy wheezed.

I took a tentative step back, 'Uh.. are you…Do you want to sit down or something?' I asked.

He let out a breathy laugh while whipping the sweat off his brow 'No no, just-' _huff_ '-just a rough training miss Addy. That's all. Now I really must return quickly before-'.

Dragging the poor man inside, I sat him on the chair near the window. I opened the window and let some of the fresh air come inside my room.

'What on earth did they do to you? Can you breathe? Are you hurt? What did you do? Why-' I was silenced by the clammy hand of Howard.

'It is alright miss Addy, I guess we all have gotten a wake-up call from the captain today.'

I raised a brow 'Okay. I get that. Why were you replaced? You're my babysitter aren't you?'

Howard shot me an uncertain look before he started telling me he didn't know.

What the hell happened?

* * *

'Milady, this really isn't necessary.' The unnamed knight huffed, trying to catch up with me.

'No. I want to know. What's his problem anyway? Left or right?'

'Right.' Howard answered when we turned another corner.

'Addy I am begging you-'

'Shush. I'm gonna talk to mommy.' I said when I got Elmont in my vision. He seemed to be training the knights in a field outside the castle, and they had looked just as tired as Howard.

Passing Howard who was trying to block my vision, I snuck next to the captain.

'God, how do you say this? Do I have permission to ask you a couple of questions? Or something? Sir?'

Actually I put that nicely, because I was angry. But I didn't want to ruin my chance to get anything out of Elmont.

…

Who was currently.. not looking at me. But… glaring at Howard standing a few steps behind me.

When he started walking around the group of knights sparring, I took this as a sign to start talking.

'So. Eh. First of all! I'd ask you to forget anything I have said yesterday! It was probably the wine talking, and I don't even remember half of it.'

'As of now, it is forgotten.' He replied shortly while he quickened his pace.

_Wow. What is it? Asshole day?_

'Good. So ehm. Why can't Howard be my personal babysitter anymore? Because I get that you think I'm as dumb as a bag of hammers and that I need looked after. But I'd really prefer Howard.'.

'Why is that?'

'What?' I said, my voice a little hoarse.

Elmont stood still all of the sudden, making me almost bump into him.

'You seem certain the relationship between you two can remain professional, but I have to object. Would that be all miss Pitsman?'

He turned around without waiting for an answer.

_God. He was currently more menstrual than any other day._

Taking big strides, I decided to follow him. Not caring if anyone could hear us. 'No, actually. I don't really understand why you would think that me and Howard.. Oh! Thirdly, I'd like to thank you for carrying my drunk butt to my room. I am very sorry about all that… so.. thank you and sorry.' I breathed while Elmont seemed engrossed with a duel between 2 knights in front of us.

Him ignoring me was making me feel a little uneasy. It made me feel like I was only a small child.

'And…lastly.. uhm.'

When he still wasn't looking at me, my uneasiness turned to irritation.

'And lastly, what the hell is your problem?'.

This actually made some of the knights look up from their training, but with a glare from Elmont they had continued. Howard was looking very pale.

The captain of the royal guard turned towards me slowly. And he was seriously angry. But then again, so was I. I didn't say anything after that though. Since I wasn't sure if I was going to yell or cry if I would open my mouth again.

'Sir Jonathon.' Elmont spoke while still holding that ice-cold glare. Who did he think he was? Medusa? I half expected snakes coming out of his awesome hair and biting me in the face.

'Bring lady Pitsman back to her room, I do believe she's not feeling well. After that you join the others and continue the training for today.'.

'Wha-'

'Milady, come with me.' The knight (sir Jonathon apparently) who picked me up today said while touching my arm. Elmont had walked on, clearly done with my shit today.

'Milady?'

'DON'T FREAKIN' RUSH ME.'

'But milady, you- OW! Bloody-'

Just in case you are wondering, I kicked the poor boy in the shin before he could finish that sentence. After that I made a dash towards the castle because I definitely did not want to spend the entire day in my stuffy room.

No, Siree.

I was thinking that nobody would come after me and I had been right. At least, I saw nobody following me when I started wandering around the castle.

I probably shouldn't have been there because a lot of safeguards were eyeing me suspiciously. What? Did they think I would flash my boobs in front of the royal family or something?

Hearing a stirring outside, I stopped my walking. It sounded like cheering… not too loud, but just enthusiastic. Like people being told they had a day off or something.

Wanting to look outside, I shooed a guard to the side because he was standing in front of the closest window.

Standing on my tippy-toes I took a peek. There was a carriage, a dark blue one…

A man stepped out.. he looked fancy enough… with his… long wavy hair and everything…

But he took the pale hand that stuck out of the carriage. That hand obviously was attached to someone, and that someone was what we girls would call an attractive-hard-to-hate-super-model. No really, you should've seen the girl. Strawberry blond hair held up by very expensive looking pins, pale blue eyes that seemed to smile kindly towards everyone, very slender and moving so gracefully . Boy, I bet that flowers would spring on the place where she pooped.

'That's Lady Julia.'

'HOLY MARY, JOSEF AND-' I placed a hand to cover my heart.

'I always wanted to look like her.' The princess said next to me, her eyes trained on the petite figure though the window.

'Please don't scary me anymore, I'll feel old.' I complained, leaning against the side of the window so that she could see better.

She smiled at me before looking again. 'I wonder why Elmont sent for her today, I thought he was busy training the knights today.'.

'He was. Why would he- I mean.. are they?'

Catching my confused glance princess Isabelle let out a chuckle. 'They're not courting, but I think they will be. A lot of rumors going around nowadays... don't you think?'.

I just _knew_ her last sentence was trying to coax something out of me. Taking another look through the window before the lady disappeared, I pressed my lips together.

'Kedalville is pretty far, how on earth did she get here so fast?' Isabelle continued. She was not longer looking outside though, she was looking at me. But she forgot that I do not break under pressure. Not so easily anyway. Or without a fight.

'You seem very envious of the lady.'

I scoffed.

'Of _her_?! Did you take a look at her? She's gorgeous. Of course I am jealous.'.

That was not the reaction the princess was looking for apparently, because she looked a little taken aback.

'She is very important though. Especially if Elmont decides take her as his wife-'

I coughed loudly hoping she wouldn't see my discomfort. By now I was praying to God she wouldn't ask if I was in an relationship with the captain. Luckily for me, she continued.

'At least that would be the plan later. Or else Elmont wouldn't have brought her here, but you know that very well already. After all, she does know how to behave properly during a festivity... Very suitable for him.'

…Now she was just playing dirty. But I fell for it anyway.

'Wha- Just give me a freakin' break. If that's all a woman does around here, that's just pathetic!' I folded my arms while I huffed. 'And I don't think she's intelligent enough.'.

'For Elmont?'

'Evidently.'

'hm,' The princess said while giving me a side glance. 'And I think you are wrong.'

Sighing, I brushed a hand through my hair. Still a little damp from the bath I had taken before.

'I know. It just felt good to say it. Is he even capable of loving a woman? Because really, he just a mean, sour-looking, cantankerous and foul tempered man today as he had been the first time I met him.'

'And I still think you are wrong.'

'She's not an exception!'

Finally having coaxed a reaction out of me, the princess grinned victoriously.

'Ah! You are jealous!'.

I glared daggers at her pretty face. People should really stop pairing me up with Elmont. Not only was it weird, it was starting to get on my nerves.

'Not that there's a problem with that Addy, really… It is a very womanly trait. It flares up in every girl Elmont has been around apparently.' She snickered.

'Listen. Sweetie.' I sighed, irritation coursing through my veins. 'I... Am not jealous!' I practically screamed that sentence while I slammed my foot into the carpet.

One knight started shifting uncomfortably.

'Mind your own business' I huffed at him, feeling awkward. I could literally grab my own head and slam it into a wall.

whywhywhywhywhywhywhywhy?


	13. Bullshit and books

**I dislike school right now D-;**

**That's the thing about choosing a study you love… You get a messy relationship with it.**

**You might be concerned about the fact that Addy and Elmont got in a short brawl last chapter, but it's not that serious! I promise that there will be no drama! It's just their way of communicating :)**

**Apologies for the errors in the story or any typos! **

**Enjoy!**

**Gigi Black Lovegood: thank you very much! I'm glad you like the descriptions too. I have so much trouble with that! Writing a book would be awesome, but I think I need way more practice! But thank you very much for the compliment!**

**SerendipityAEY: I'm very glad you like it so far! :-) I hope I can keep you interested till the end! Love your stories by the way!**

**Piiess: Haha! I can almost imagine a new advertisement! New! Organic Lady Julia fertilizer! Usable on lawns, flowers, vegetables, shrubs and trees. Usable any time of the year!**

**Guest: Here it is! Glad you enjoy! :)**

**MidnightShadow07: I'm so glad I make you laugh with the story! I hope you keep enjoying it!**

* * *

'Hit me.'

'3 Kings.'

'…'

'…'

'Bull shit.'

'You sure like losing, don't you Addy.'

'Shut yer gob…'

'…'

'…Bloody hell.'

'I told you.'

I stared at all the cards from the messy pile on the table between me and Isabelle. Isabelle had shown me she had cards. Not much like the ones I used in London, but they were somewhat alike. I took the opportunity to show her how to play 'Bullshit'.

Turned out I sucked at it and she was kicking my wee ass.

When I looked outside the window I let out a yawn.

'I don't like this game anymore.'.

'We can play something else.' Isabelle chuckled while collecting the cards.

'You're a bad liar Addy.'.

'Whatever. I'm awesome.'.

The rain silently pattered against the window. I could almost imagine little fingers outside tapping against the glass. The big fire roaring in the fireplace and the comfortable chairs made the whole room very cozy.

'We could talk about Lady Julia if you like?' Isabelle questioned while making herself more comfortable in her chair.

I shot her an angry look.

'I am sorry. I didn't mean to cause any trouble between you and Elmont.'

When I stopped twirling the laces of my all stars, she looked at me with a light smile. Isabelle helped me get my old clothes back. Just in time too, because Aladdin was about to throw them out. I almost throttled her when I found out. My clothes where the only thing I had left. Something from home.

I put my feet on the chair I was sitting on. That would probably leave a stain on the soft dark pink fabric. 'Look,' I said while scowling 'It is not a problem. Okay? It doesn't trouble me.'.

'It sure looks like it's bothering you.' Isabelle remarked while eying my expression.

'No it doesn't. Let's just do something else.' I said, flinching when I heard the thunder outside the castle.

'We could visit Elmont.'.

'Stop that. You can't just ship two random people together! It's unnatural! Like a lion riding a giraffe!'.

'You need to learn how to speak in a language people understand, Addy.'.

'HEY! I didn't help you in Gantua to rescue your sass, princess.'.

Letting out a giggle, Isabelle got out of her chair. She grabbed my hand as she pulled me up.

'Nrghmh.. I was comfortable woman!'.

'Follow me!'.

'Hey! This is not frickin' Dora the explorer, woman!'.

'Come oooooooooon…'.

I sighed in defeat while I let her drag me away from the comfortableness of the room.

* * *

The curiosity was almost too much for me as princess Isabelle lead me towards an old dusty door. Her eyes twinkled as she pushed it open, slowly urging me inside.

Books. A lot of books. Rows and rows of old cabinets made of rosewood. Every single one of them filled to the brim with books. I don't want to sound like a romantic or anything, but it almost brought tears to my eyes. It was as if the books where encouraging me to come closer, to run my fingers over the spines of the books. Promising me a thousand stories of worlds I had never seen before. For me, the worlds on those pages seemed more friendly than the world I now lived in.

'Maybe you find what you are looking for in here.' Isabelle's voice whispered 'Perhaps the books have a way of taking you home.'.

I knew she didn't literally mean 'to take me home', but she was offering me comfort. Something I had missed since I landed here.

'D-dude.' I sniffled while turning towards her with a pout. 'You are just like Oprah.'.

She gave me a confused look, but smiled nonetheless. It looked funny.

'Thank you Addy. Perhaps I will see you tomorrow.'

I nodded vigorously, my eyes still not leaving the bookshelves next to me.

Her hand touched my shoulder and it shook me out of my thoughts. 'This actually belongs to me, but I don't use it that often. You can stay here as long as you like.'.

She gently squeezed my shoulder and sent me a dazzling smile before leaving through the door.

Maybe she took pity on me, maybe she felt sorry for picking on me the whole time or maybe she wanted to spoil me. Whatever reason she had, I cared not for it.

I pulled out as many books as I could. Quickly I found out I couldn't read half of them because of the weird lettering. I took a short break by getting some food from the kitchen and eating it in the library. Soon enough I had at least 15 books in my hands. And I was dying to get to my room and start to read them all.

Finally managing to open the heavy door of the library, I smiled widely. Readjusting the books in my hands, I started walking towards my room. It was only after a few minutes that I realized I had memorized the way back!

Awesome.

Nothing could ruin my mood. Not the rain. Not the thunderstorm. Not the fact that it was getting dark outside. Not even the fact that someone was coming from around the corner on my right, cutting me off and making me drop at least half of all my books. Nope! Not even the fact that it was Lady Julia and not even the fact that Elmont was right next to her. Absolutely not!

My eyes flicked towards their linked arms, but I quickly gathered the books that had fallen to the floor. Hands quickly joined me, picking up the books and gathering them in their hands.

Soon enough I noticed that it wasn't Elmont who had helped me, but the pretty lady. She looked red in the face and smiled up at me when I stared at her.

'Those are quite a lot of books Addy.' Elmont's voice had started. 'Where'd you get them?'.

Lady Julia held the books for me while rejoining Elmont. Elmont took the books from her though, not wanting her to carry such heavy things. Lady Julia was even more beautiful up-close. I mean really… gorgeous. If Elmont wouldn't marry her, I would! I'd just keep her in a glass box.

I frowned. 'I didn't steal them. I'm borrowing them! Isabelle gave me permission to use her library!'.

Elmont hummed in reply and I didn't know if that was a good or bad sign.

After a while he cleared his throat and took a step to the side. 'Lady Julia, may I introduce you to lady Addy. Addy, this is lady Julia from Kedalville.'.

I smiled awkwardly, suddenly very aware of the weight of the books in my hands. It had been less, since Elmont was carrying half of them. But still.

Lady Julia was being silent. And I was almost about to ask if she was okay because it didn't seem like she was breathing. She beat me to it though.

'She is exactly how I imagined her..' she breathed. Her eyes staring dreamily at me.

Safe to say I was confused once again.

My eyes glanced to my sides, to Elmont and back to the lady who seemed smitten with me. She had come closer, her blue eyes widened and her hands covering her mouth.

'Oh-hooo…' she murmured absent-mindedly as she dropped her hands. She bit her lip while staring at me once more.

Was she was fangirling?

She grasped my hands in hers as she let out a charming laugh. I almost dropped the books. 'It is such an honor to meet you miss Addy! It's such a pleasure! Nay, a privilege! I have heard so many stories of you!'.

_Well this escalated quickly._

My eyes where still as big a saucers as she gave me a grin.

_no comprendo señorita._

'You have been so courageous! So resilient! When I knew you resided in Cloister,' she chuckled while rolling her eyes as if she thought she was being silly ' Well I just had to see you with my own eyes! I just had to meet you.'.

I blinked. My mouth agape.

'Actually, sir Elmont was just about to find you.' She continued while she almost hopped up and down. 'Isn't that right sir Elmont?'.

I turned to Elmont who raised the corner of his lips slightly. 'Yes, that is right.'.

Once again Lady Julia claimed my attention. 'Oh! I am very sorry for surprising you like this. Please pardon my audacity. I am not trying to be rude. It is only…' She frowned a little as if she was crossed with herself. It was gone as soon as I blinked though. 'I wish for us to be friends.'.

I nodded slowly, my mouth still agape. Giving me a happy smile she kept clutching my hands.

Elmont had to break the moment, silently nudging Lady Julia to go with him. He started to give the books he was still carrying to me, but Lady Julia stepped in. Telling him he should not leave me to carry all those books by myself. When he opposed to the idea, Lady Julia stated that she would help carry the books herself if he didn't. And when I heard that I gave Elmont a pleading look. It wasn't as if I didn't like the lady.. She probably didn't mean to be creepy… But it was just a little awkward for me. I had to process what just had happened exactly. It was a lot of information to take in...

Whether Elmont had seen my pleading look or not, he asked her if he should call somebody to lead her to her room. But she waved it off absent-mindedly. She turned to me one last time to bid me a good night before she smiled and was on her way.

The walk with Elmont and me was silent as always. Not as awkward as it had been the first time. Elmont had a frown on his face, as if he was thinking about how to invent rocket science. The rain was still going and I still smelled food.

Suddenly I felt relieved. And I don't know why but it felt nice.

I let out a snicker as the comforting wave washed through me.

Elmont had looked at me briefly 'Is something wrong, Addy?'.

Still grinning, I shook my head. 'No, no!' I answered while almost dropping the book that was on top of the others. Elmont had grabbed the book and set it on top of his pile and I smiled in gratitude.

'Er. It's just that feeling when you have been worried over something like: 'I hope I'm back in time before the cookies in the oven get burned!'. But by the time you arrive it turns out your mother has taken them out. You know?' I explained, but I frowned afterwards. 'That was a really weird explanation.'.

Hearing Elmont chuckle beside me didn't make me feel as dumb as I felt before.

'I understand. Though you have nothing to worry about.' He replied. 'Except for Lady Julia's exclamations of adoration, perhaps.'

'Yes,' I agreed while I nodded my head. 'I don't really understand though.'.

'What don't you understand?'.

'Well,' I scratched my head as I saw the familiar hallway that lead to my room. ' The fact that I'm so different.. And she's a lady and all!'.

Elmont nodded while opening my door for me.' Well, she is a very wealthy lady. The daughter of a very wealthy merchant. She is a well-educated lady, she's as smart as she is beautiful.' He said while placing the book he held on the cabinet next to my bed.

I wasn't surprised he thought she was beautiful… It just caught me off guard. His words stirring inside me a little. As if I had eaten a bad shrimp-cocktail or something.

Sorry. That was gross.

_Snort._

'Adoring such an odd looking woman who went on a journey is not the greatest thing she has ever done.' He continued while turning towards me.

'W-wha!' I spluttered. I whacked him on the arm. 'I'm not the one with funky hair and an old-fashioned goatee! Because seriously, that is just-'

'Nevertheless, you are very unusual.'

I frowned heavily. 'If you don't stop making mean comments, I'll sing you a Justin Bieber song. And I'll sing it so loud, it'll crack your skull right open.'.

'Once again, I have no idea what you are talking about. I bid you a very good night.'. Elmont said while he turned towards my door.

'Hey! I'm not done with you yet! Come back here!'.

'Get into your bed Addy.'.

'No. I don't have to if I don't want to.' I replied childishly.

'If you decide to make a fuss milady, I will throw you in. It is no burden for me really.'.

Now you are probably thinking that I had a good comeback or something. Well I didn't. It shut me up. My head turning beat red as I let out a nervous laugh. His facial expression hardened when he saw it.

'Do not think that means anything that it doesn't Addy.'. He said, an unyielding look on his face. The same I had seen this morning. His voice was firm but not in anger.

'No. I don't.' I spluttered while I almost dropped the books again. I pointed an accusing finger in his direction 'You were saying weird things!'.

He frowned 'I was not.'.

'Yes you were!' I exclaimed while I dropped my hand 'That was totally inappropriate!'.

'Is Addy Pitsman lecturing me about what is appropriate?' he challenged.

'I am.'.

'Then please inform me once again about how appropriate your clothes are today, how appropriately you talk to royalty, how you swear and how you act during a feast? Not to mention how you drink your wine.'.

'Will you stop bitching about that? I thought you forgave me for that!'

'I did.'

'Good.'

'Yes. Good.'

'Goodnight.'

'Goodnight milady.'

The door slammed shut and I was left alone once again. I was still staring at the door in confusion, still not sure what the hell just happened.

After a few minutes a snort escaped my lips.


	14. CinderAddy

**Hello my darlings!**

**Lousy update nr. 14! I'm so sorry guys, college is killing me. The next chapter may take a while, but don't worry! I'll finish it! **

**Piess: Yes, lady Julia is very creepy :P No worries, I think Addy and Elmont won't ever stop arguing :)**

**MidnightShadow07: haha! That is something Addy would do! It's really funny how every reader seems to know Addy already! It's really cool! :)**

**And thank you very much! I'm trying my best!**

**MoonCastersFlyingCircus: Hi there! Glad you're still enjoying the story :) Addy is one of the big reasons Julia went to Cloister, but she has other reasons ;)**

* * *

The days passed. The days turned into weeks and the heat of summer came rolling in.

'Cinder-Addy, Cinder-Addy, night and day it's Cinder-Addy~'

I hummed with a scowl, while carrying two big buckets of water from the infirmary in both hands.

Did I ever tell you I love Disney songs?

Well I do.

'Make the fire, fix the breakfast, wash the dishes, do the mopping. And the sweeping! And the dusting! They always keep her hopping~'

Setting both buckets down near a ditch in the middle of the square, I let out a big puff of air. Taking one of the buckets and emptying them in the trench, I continued my singing-disney-songs-routine.

'She goes around in circles 'till she's very, very dizzy. Still they holler-'

'Addy!'

'Did you come to whisk me away from my dreadful life sir Jack? What would my father say?' I grinned.

Giving me a boyish smile, he jumped off his caramel colored horse. Picking up the other bucket that was still placed on the ground, he threw the contents in the ditch.

'Are you occupied?'

'If you play your cards right, I'm not~'

_A moment of silence and a raised eyebrow._

'Is something the matter Addy?'

I shook my head with a smile but I couldn't keep it up for long. My shoulders drooped and I frowned heavily. 'I am booored.' I whimpered 'Bored as James Bond with one woman.'.

'You are bored?'.

'Yes.'

'How bad?'

'Bored to tears.'

'Come with me.'

'No.'

Jack frowned and he scratched his head. 'But you just said-'.

'I know what I said,' I sighed while leaning on the wall next to me. 'I have responsibilities ya know. Elinor is the only thing that is constant in my life right now. I can't just fly off...'.

'I understand.'

'Hn.'

Again a moment of silence.

'Want to come with me anyway?' Jack said while a shameless grin came out quite nicely.

'Hngh…' I grumbled while I looked uncertain.

'Suit yourself!' Jack said while he walked back to his horse. But 1 step before he reached his destination, he whispered something over his shoulder.

My mother used to do that, and let me tell you: when people walk away, but mutter something over their shoulder before leaving… Well… it's a train wreck. It's a _destroyer _of worlds. Because that small sentence is the most important one in the conversation.

'Lady Julia is arriving from her visit to the gardens soon.'

_See what I mean?_

'Then make haste!' I almost screamed while I darted after Jack.

* * *

Okay. Let me make one thing clear. I don't hate Lady Julia.

There. I said it. She just… intimidates me a little.

Since our first encounter I've seen her 3 other times. Once during my 'shift' in the infirmary, another time in the library and another time in the hallway on the way to my room.

Our conversations where mostly about me. Which makes me uncomfortable because I'm really not that interesting to talk about. I simply grinned stupidly most of the time.

We also talked about the castle and how the restorations were coming along. And to be frank, it took longer than I expected (but I didn't say that to her of course). Only 2 towers were completely restored, but most of it was still in bits. I actually got her to talk about herself too, but it was only for 5 minutes before she changed the subject again.

Apparently she's this daughter of a merchant, who did something with overseas trading. She has a handsome brother who's married with some kind of fat princess with a lot of zits. Elmont and her have been introduced several years ago. They are not courting yet. Julia didn't really strike me as a love struck girl though, she wasn't swooning or anything. She loves to read, loves to bathe and loves to dance. Stupidly enough I told her that I was really bad at it.

It was meant as a joke.

But it was a shame lady Julia had trouble with knowing the difference between a simple joke and an invitation. So before I knew it, I had a new dancing teacher.

I managed to escape soon after with a lame excuse and I hadn't seen her since.

So there it is. I'm not taking Elinor's kindness for granted. But lady Julia just scares the crap out of me!

I would get my ass kicked by Elinor at some point. Perhaps I would get an earful, or maybe get demoted. And demoted meant that I'd have to clean poop for a week. But it would be worth it, at least I wouldn't have to talk to lady Julia for one day.

No that this is over with, let's continue with our story and my current predicament.

I was with Jack.

And we were riding through the forest.

On a horse.

A big one.

And I do not like horses.

Or any other animals for that matter. I do not like them, they don't like me. Period.

So that's why I was clinging on Jack like a chimp, cursing every time when the horse jumped.

'Where the hell are we going?'

'I thought you didn't care milady?'

'Why are we going so fast?'

'The thrill of escape Addy, the thrill of escape.'

After 15 minutes we had arrived at a clearing in the middle of the woods. Jack had to help me off the horse fast, since the animal became unsteady with only me on its back.

Holding my hand in front of my eyes, I took in our surroundings. Tall grass, oak trees, apple trees and some yellow flowers which were scattered in the middle of it all.

'I used to come here very often with my father when I was little. Perfect place to hide don't you think?' Jack said while securing the horse to a big tree.

'I guess so.' I mumbled while playing with a leaf from the tree next to me. 'How long ago was that anyway?' I questioned while raising my head.

Jack's face twisted into a thoughtful one. I almost snorted when I saw it. '15 years ago? It's been a while, but I think I was 7 when he told me about this place.'

'Ha! I'm older then you.' I said while I smiled in thriumph.

'Only by 2 years milady.' Jack chuckled as he sat down underneath the apple tree to the right from me. 'Isabelle is younger.'

'Oh, okay. So what is she, 17?' Sitting down next to him, I gave him a wry smile. 'So how are the two of you going anyway? You're not at the castle a lot.'

Jack shrugged as he gave me a brief look 'I know, she doesn't like it.'. He paused before plucking at the grass underneath him. 'She's 18 years of age.'.

He frowned when I let out a laugh 'Why are you laughing at her age?'.

'Ha! It's just… she's very young, don't you think? You are 5 years older!'

'That doesn't strike me as odd.'

'Figures.' I said while chewing on the inside of my cheek

'Elmont is near 40.'

_Cue choking._

'I beg you par-don?'

'You seem surprised.'

'Well, I am you little- stop laughing!'

But Jack didn't stop laughing until I gave him an angry punch to his right arm. Holding his hands up in surrender, he chocked out an apology.

'Big age difference don't you think, Addy?'.

Pointing my index finger in his direction, I frowned at him. 'Don't you start on me as well.'.

'There are rumors though,' Jack said while he stood up and grabbed an apple from the tree. 'People talk Addy'.

'Let them talk.' I said grumpily as Jack threw me the apple, and got one for himself. I frowned at it and twisted the apple in my hands.

It was silent for a while. The only sound I heard was the sounds of leaves, crickets and the crunching sounds Jack made while he ate.

The warm breeze made my face flush and I threw the apple up and down a few times.

Seeing that I wasn't going to eat mine, he took it from me and took a bite out of that one as well.

'40... That's… he could be my dad!' I mumbled while I frowned heavily.

Jack made a noise, but didn't respond.

'And Lady Julia?' I questioned carefully, wanting to sound casual.

When it stayed quiet, I turned my head towards Jack. He was looking at me, still chewing on the apple and with a shit-eating grin on his face.

'I swear to God, it's just-'

'You know what you sound like?'

'I'll break your kneecaps if you finish that sentence.'


	15. hooker incident

**Gambette123: I will, I promise! Finals are coming up, so updates are a little slow.**

**Astrid: That was such a good idea, that I put it in this chapter. You guys seem to know Addy better than I do!**

**Guest: Addy is indeed a little jealous. Julia is a little older then Addy, probably around 28 :)**

**BlackCatDemon133: Thank you for the compliment! Thank you for reading!**

**PaddySnuffles: Yes it does sound like something Jack and Isabelle would do. Wait and see ;)**

**MidnightShadow: That's exactly the kind of relationship I want Jack and Addy to have. It's not really best buddy's, but they care for each other in a way! Apologies for the short chapter, I have finals! Elmont is in this chapter, so I hope you enjoy! I thought it'd be a bit obnoxious to put him in every chapter.**

**MoonCastersFlyingCircus: Haha! Elmont is a little under 40. Ewan Mcgregor is over 40, so that's why I made Elmont older than Addy.**

**Enjoy :)**

* * *

Okay. So.. I don't really remember the exact moment when my slight crush on sir Uptight-Prick started, but I think it had something to do with the hooker incident. Which sounds way worse than it actually is! Again: It is not my fault.

So.. Elinor as expected was not pleased with me. Not in the least. It was the first time I saw her frown. Any other time I would feel horrible, but now I couldn't feel anything but happy. Happy that I didn't see Miss Creepy for a few hours.

Elinor didn't yell at me or anything, but her punishment was harsh. I wasn't allowed inside the infirmary until I 'figured out how to treat those who are kind to you'. And she was right. The punishment hit me like a brick after a few hours in my room. Which had been cleared of books.

I didn't throw a fit at Aladdin for doing so, she probably didn't know any better and saw it as rubbish that had to be cleaned up. It also turned out the library was closed and I was confined to my room.

I didn't like staying in my room because I become nostalgic and miserable. The only thing I can think about is my home and my own room back in London. I could paint a million pictures about how I feel when I'm alone, but I'm not going to bore you with that. Long story short: being in my room makes me feel emotions that I honestly believe will not help my situation right now.

Lying on my back on my huge bed made me feel misplaced and lost.

After some time lying there, I naturally thought of ways to entertain myself. None of them proved to be fun.

I kind of wished Jack came back, or Elmont. To just look after me, you know? The pretentious idea of Elmont coming over and give me something to do was stupid and childish. Hadn't they done enough? They had given me a roof over my head and made sure I was well fed and looked after. And we're talking about the knights-age-thing here! Things could've gone way worse for me. I could've been eaten by giants, could've been dumped on the streets, could've been married of to someone if I was lucky… They had taken good care of me. And here I was causing trouble. I guess I should stop wishing that they'd give me something to do. There were just some things I needed to do and find out on my own.

So I did.

* * *

The days passed, and one particular day I felt a storm cloud over my head. It was stretching itself across the skies when I looked up.

Wearing a tunic and slacks I had bought with the giant-money, I strolled through the town just like yesterday. I felt terrible, but nothing was wrong with me. Like the dark storm clouds were inside me as well.

I was perfectly fine, but I wasn't acting like it, what was the matter with me?

Kicking the dirt underneath my feet, I walked to the outskirts of town.

I don't remember how I got involved with the girl, but I think she started the conversation. She was leaning against the wall and asked if I was a boy, which didn't bother me that much anymore. People asked that question so many times, I lost count.

We had a conversation about things I don't remember, but she made me laugh. Something I hadn't done in a while.

Before I knew it, I surrounded by girls on the street. Finally understanding why the girl asked if I was a boy.

Suddenly I found myself playing truth or dare with a bunch of prostitutes, in front of a brothel.

'You didn't!'

'Ye are such a dirty vixen Joanna!'

'He started it.'

'Just because you can do everything, doesn't mean you should.'

'Ok! Ok! My turn!' I said while waiving my arms, trying to grab the girls attention. 'Ask me.'

One of the girls with sand colored hair turned towards me. 'Addy, truth or dare.'

'Truth.' I answered while leaning on the brick wall behind me.

'Are you sure? Are you too scared to do a dare?' she asked me calmly.

'Yes. Ask away.'

She shrugged as she looked at the ceiling, trying to think of a good question.

'What's the worst thing you've ever done?'

I frowned 'Why aren't you asking me any dirty questions like before?'. I felt a little insulted.

She shrugged as her eyes drifted towards a young man passing by, 'I could ask you about the rumors that -'

'Worst thing, you said?' I cut her off 'To another person?'.

She shrugged again, not convinced I was going to give an impressive answer.

'In kindergarten I saw a little boy not washing his hands after using the loo. So I told one of my friends he had poo on his hands because he hadn't cleaned them. Suddenly everyone was calling him poo-boy, and it had been my fault. Until one day he had enough and smeared poo all over everyone's backpacks during recess.'

I heard a few snickers, but most of them were just grossed out.

'Oh my God, Addy.'

'That's just gross.'

'Why would you even-'

'If that's the worst thing you've done, you should hear about Anishia's adventure with this Persian!'

'A Persian?' I questioned.

'It was quite scandalous.'

'I am not telling that story.'

'What's the worst thing that could happen? I bet Addy would love to hear it.'

I nodded vigorously, my ears open for any kind of story.

'It started a month ago-'

Talking and laughing with these girls took my worries away. But although it was fun, I did notice some of the sorrow on their faces they were desperately trying to hide. Some of them were younger than me and probably never had the chance to be a child.

I didn't even realize that I was being watched until I heard my name.

'What?' I said while turning.

'It's your name is it not?' Elmont said, one hand holding the reigns of his horse.

Snickering was heard from the girls by my side, 'Uh. Yeah. '

'Of course it is. Get on the horse.'

As if sensing it, his horse pulled on the reigns making Elmont shift his gaze back to the horse.

'No.' I stared at the horse with distaste.

'I insist.'

'No.'

Still not taking his eyes off his horse, he raised his eyebrows. 'I can advise you to do as you're told. It will save us both a lot of trouble.'. Although he didn't look angry, his voice had become sharper.

By now some of the girls around me had left, clearly feeling like they were intruding. The ones who stayed were eyeing us like a hawk, whispering all the while.

'I'm not in the mood Elmont. If you want to know why I am here, I can tell you I am free to hang around prostitutes if I want to. No offence.' I shot back at the girls around me. They didn't really seem to care.

'Do you think they converse with you because they think you are interesting?'

Usually I would play the game, but today I was not feeling well. 'Hmm. I'm considering your opinion, and I think I'll disregard it.'

'Then come here.'

'No.'

The mumbling behind me was getting louder, and it made me feel more uncomfortable. So eventually I shifted on my feet and after a few minutes I took some steps towards him.

'You don't look very well. Are you all right?'

I gave him what I hoped a grin, but I felt like I had been stepped on multiple times today. It'll probably be time for my period or something.

'I feel great! Great like an Oreo.'

He frowned 'Work on your language Addy, it's unbecoming.'.

He took a few steps, inviting me to walk with him instead of sitting on the stupid horse.

Not bothering to wave my new friends goodbye, I followed.

The walk was silent for a good while. The sky was still dark, and the air felt humid.

'Where is your coat?' he remarked.

I looked down in surprise. 'It seemed like it would've been sunny outside today,' (_lie!)_

'So I just sorta left it in my room. It's not like it's mine anyway, it's Jack's.'

'Have you eaten?'

'I did. I had lunch.' (_lie!_)

He raised an eyebrow, 'Are you sure?'

'You're not my mother.'

I almost chocked on air when I said that, because that's exactly what was wrong with me today. I was homesick. I felt terrible and wanted to go to my room and crawl into bed before I would start crying.

'Are you crying?'

I looked at him while I frowned 'I am not.'.

His eyes fixated into mine, as if he tried to make me cry anyway.

'Then you are going to.'

'Aw come on, don't do that! Don't try and be smart… and read me like Sherlock or something.' My voice sounded strained, and that didn't help my cause in the slightest.

Tying his horse by the nearest inn, he turned towards me and crossed his arms. Like the bastard was waiting for me to scream or cry.

I mirrored his pose, glaring at him all the while. 'I am tired. Tired and homesick and I feel stupid and that makes people emotional.' I hadn't cried yet, but I felt the tears burning behind my eyes. The prickling sensation was putting me on edge, so I kept looking in other directions in order for it to stop.

'Don't cry.'

I guess that was an attempt to comfort me, but it sounded a bit weird and awkward. That made me choke out a laugh.

'Why do I... Really I go to bed every night going over things that I might have said or done that made me end up here. Because I am scared to death that there'll come a moment when I'll accept that I'm going to be stuck in this stupid place where I don't belong, because I don't.'

Okay. Now I was crying.

'I miss my mom.' I said with a watery smile, while I raised my shoulders.

'My family, my own bed, my friends, my school. Someone who really asks me about my day and... and calls me up from the store to ask if we need more milk… don't you get that?'

Elmont was still frowning in thought, eyes not leaving me.

'But I am here. Stuck in this stupid age. Stuck with you.' I accused, wiping the angry tears from my face . 'And it's just mean. And unfair. And stupid.'

I started to grow panicky.

'I can't do anything, people have to take care of me. And I hate it. And I don't know how to exist in a world, where my family doesn't.'

Elmont was quiet. Probably waiting if I had anything else to say.

'You're awfully wrong.' He said after a while, taking one step closer. 'Look at me.'.

I glared at the dirt underneath my feet, shaking my head.

He took a deep breath, clearly feeling uncomfortable.

'Look at me.' His voice piping down a few notches.

'What?' I muttered, looking at him briefly.

'You are important. Very important. It is true that you might never get back to where you came from. But I have told you already, I will personally make sure you will be okay.'. He looked me over for a few seconds.

'It's ok to be a little selfish.' He counseled, placing a hand on my shoulder.

'I will already do whatever you ask of me. Do you understand?'.

Was that his way of saying I was his friend?

I nodded silently and we stood there for a few moment. His hand on my shoulder and me wiping the tears from my face.

'Let's go' he commanded while his hand slipped from my shoulder, but taking my hand in the process.

'Go where?' I complained.

'To the castle, you need to eat.'

'Eating is boring.' I mumbled while letting myself me dragged towards the castle.

'I will personally stuff every piece of food into you if I deem it necessary. '

That made me laugh a little. Taking care of me and making me laugh. He meant well.

'See what you've done woman? Making an idiot out of me every chance you get.'


	16. Milady

**Alright! I'm finished with my tests! I passed them all! Yay! :D**

**Now I have my internship and then a holiday to Canada! I'll keep you updated lovely folks!**

**I was thinking about starting with another fanfiction, but I'm not sure yet…**

**To all the new followers: Welcome!**

**Review time!**

**Makayla: Especially for you some Jack and Addy in this chapter! Hope you enjoy ;)**

**Anna: That's such a great compliment, thank you so much! Hope you'll enjoy this chapter!**

**Monopolyguy: Only because you ask so nicely C: haha! I promise I will finish this story! No need to worry!**

**MoonCasterFlyingCircus: haha! Glad you're still enjoying it! And I agree with you, I think some stuff has cleared up between Addy and Elmont in the last chapter.**

**Midnightshadow07: Thank you sweetheart! You are so nice! Elmont has a strange way of comforting people, I don't think he has much experience with crying girls. Glad you still enjoy!**

**Gigi Black Lovegood: Glad you like it! I wish I could update more often too, but I'll finish the story! I promise!**

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* * *

It had always irritated me when people had nicknames. It had always irritated me when people called me anything but my name. And it had always irritated me when Elmont never quite stopped calling me 'milady'.

Although there had been a slight shift in the meaning of it lately. When I met him, he called me 'milady' out of politeness. But to me it was like a reference to me being weak, stupid and unable to stand on my own. A reference to me being unable to survive without bodies filled with testosterone.

Sometimes he made it into an insult, saying how I wasn't a proper lady.

But being too busy with being annoyed by it, I didn't really notice the shift. The term 'milady' shifted towards, _dare I say,_ a more teasing area. Elmont did not continue to call me 'milady' because he forgot my name or was too lazy to call me anything else. It was a term he only used with me when I did something stupid, weird, funny or challenging. Like that day I dared him into a sword fight, because I wanted to learn.

I lost of course… In the first 20 seconds…

… I dunno. I just wanted to tell you that. I don't know why.

…

…

… shut up.

* * *

A few days passed after my big 'cry-athon' with Elmont and things had started to look a little better. Summer was there and the castle was pretty much finished. Flowers grew and people seemed more cheerful.

Elinor was still not very pleased with me after I apologized to her. But she wasn't that heartless either, she let me scrub the dirty sheets from the infirmary so I had something to do.

Happy to be finally doing something besides bother Elmont and Howard, I was biding my time scrubbing dirty pillowcases and sheets.

As I took the bar of greasy soap, I proceeded to scrub the stains out of the grey pillowcase. With the same hand I wiped my brow, trying to get rid of the beads of sweat that started to form on my forehead.

Soaking the cotton into the big tub in front of me, I let out a sigh. Desperately thinking of a way to get out of the situation I was in.

You see… I was not alone.

'Why don't you just ask me?' Howard said while he leaned back against the stone wall in the shade.

'The last time you did you couldn't pick up a piece of straw from the ground without groaning in exhaustion.' I laughed as I shook my head at the memory of the exhausted boy standing in front of my door a few weeks ago.

Catching his eye after a few seconds, I smiled a little before I went back to scrubbing the soft material in my hands.

'I remember that,' he said while he flinched at the memory, 'But really, what is the point of going to this feast if you don't know any dance?'

'Hey! I know the dance you taught me!' I said while raising my voice a little.

Howard raised his hands in mock surrender but there was a spark of humor in his blue eyes. 'If you call that dancing, I rest my case Addy.'.

He made a dive for it when I tried to splash him with the dirty water from the tub. Luckily for him I had missed.

'All mockery aside, I can teach you. If you know 2 dances you'll be fine.' Howard offered.

'Hah.' I chuckled, 'Good luck with that. I'm really bad at learning dance moves. By the time I know them all, Elmont has already kicked your ass at least 50 times.'

'That was not because of the dancing!' Howard said, his voice sounding a little exasperated . 'That was because you drank too much!'.

'Well, I'll need a lot of drinks if you want to get me to dance.' I snickered.

Howard had begun to look a little pale now, seriously wondering if Elmont was about to give him that training again.

'Look, I don't want to make you feel guilty, I'm just really bad at it.' I offered, wringing out the fabric in my hands.

'Then let me teach you!' Howard said while throwing his hands in the air in annoyance 'You made a fair start at the banquet!'.

When I gave him a look, he chuckled.

'I did say you made a start. With some practice, you'll be fine!' he continued while giving me a hopeful look.

I pursed my lips while I grabbed another dirty sheet to wash. But even though I tried to squeeze my lips tightly together, I couldn't help raising the corner of my mouth.

'Does that mean: 'Yes Howard, I would loooooove for you to teach me to dance!'?'

'Fine.' I said without any enthusiasm.

Howard seemed extremely happy with my compliance because he was beaming by now. 'Being able to dance is important for a lady you know!'.

I rose an eyebrow at him.

'Go wrestle something.'

'No, I'm telling the truth!' Howard said, _clearly_ not getting my hint. He sat a little closer to me. 'It'll get you the attention of suitors! You're 25!'.

'Your reflexes may save you from getting splashed, but it certainly doesn't make you immune from a punch in the tit!' I sneered as I lifted my index finger to point at his armor-less-chest.

Howard gave a snort as he lifted an eyebrow.

When he smiled he looked like he was 16 or something… He was kinda weird. The 'pretty-blond-one-in-a-boy-band-' kind of weird.

I dried my hands on my skirt, giving a big yawn.

'So when and where are we gonna do this?' I said while rubbing the cramped-up muscle near my neck.

Howard spread his arms as wide as he could. 'Right here if you like!'

'What if anyone sees?' I said with a frown as I dropped my hands into my lap.

'Do not act shy Addy, it does not suit you.'

'Shut up! Answer the question!'

'Which one of those orders should I obey first?'

I let out a growl as I angrily put the cleaned (but still damp ) linen into the empty basket next to me.

Howard grabbed the basket when it was full and stood up straight.

'Who cares if any one sees?' he asked while he offered me a hand to stand up.

I shrugged while I brushed off some imaginary dust from my skirt.

'Good! So I will teach you! Today!'

Letting out a sigh, I gave a nod.

* * *

'I gotta yawn.' I stupidly said while I covered my mouth with my hand. Howard shook his head, not letting go of me just yet.

We were in the middle of the small square surrounded by pillars where I was washing linen before. By now it was midday and very warm. The air was muggy, damp, and I was sweating like a pig. It wouldn't have been that big a' deal if I wasn't practicing some sort of waltz with Howard.

'Come one, we are going to try this one more time.' Howard said while his grasp on my hand and waist tightened.

I groaned loudly in protest.

'Yes Addy, Now hurry up. We've barely covered the first dance.'

'You're breath smells like coffee. I swear to god, if you have coffee in this bloody place, I'll kick your ass for not telling me.'

Seeing Howards warning glance, I stopped and tried to concentrate.

It took around an hour to get me to perfect the first 5 steps in the first dance without making me look like I was physically **and** mentally-challenged (Howards words, not mine.).

After I stepped on Howards toes for the umpteenth time, I was pretty sure Howard was going to give up.

'I am so sorr-'

'It's fine Addy.'

'But I- God! I'm such a- I'm so sorry!'

'I said it's fine Addy.'

'You can just go you know! You don't have-'

I couldn't finish that sentence since Howard had grabbed my cheeks in one hand, making me do a fish-face. And let me tell you, that is one of the most ugliest faces I have.

'It's fine Addy. You're tired, I am aware of that.' He said in an oddly calm voice, still not letting go of my face.

I blinked at him, hyper aware of how one drop of sweat was now rolling down the side of my face. My heart was still drumming in panic, because for a second there I believed he would pull a romantic move on me or something. Like kiss me to shut me up or something, but he didn't. Lucky for me because I'd probably start laughing or something.

'Oh hey! What is going on in here?' A quite happy voice rang through the room. Nevertheless it had made me jump a little and Howard let go of my face.

Jack, who was wearing a dark green tunic, took a few strides closer to us. 'What are you two doing?' he asked while playing with a few blackberries in his hands.

'_We_' Howard said while grabbing my hand again 'thought this would be the perfect place to test Addy's dancing skills.'

Jack hummed as he gave us both a once-over, finally popping a berry into his mouth. 'How's that going for you?'

I opened my mouth to protest, but Jack opened his hand filled with blackberries in front of me, quickly soothing my anger. It seems he starting to know me better and better each day because instead of yelling at him for the insult, I squealed in joy.

'If those talents exist, that is..' Howard sighed, finally letting go of me.

I simple kicked his foot lightly while I greedily grabbed every berry from Jack's hands.

'Look at these berries!' I said while I was chewing on the sweet piece of fruit 'Look how awesome and juicy they look! I loooooove blackberries'. Howard stood awkwardly beside me, silently raising his eyebrows.

'I can see that.' Jack chuckled as he grabbed one from my hands, and put it in his mouth. If I was paying attention the two men next to me, I would notice that Howard looked a little miffed and Jack shot Howard a short and a little too hapy smile.

'You should probably rest Addy.' Howard finally sighed while he stepped further away.

'Wha- We've barely finished the first dance!' I objected. To be honest with everyone, I hadn't improved in the hours I had practiced till now. My moves were sloppy, very unnatural and forced.

'That's a fine idea indeed! I hope you don't mind if I steal her away from you, would you sir Howard?' Jack cut in, grabbing my arm gently.

Howard's eyes flicked to mine, but raised his hands in defeat.

That was all Jack needed to start dragging me away to God knows where. And all I could do was stagger next to him to try and keep up.

The sun was shining at its brightest and it had cast its pale light onto the tiles of grey stone. I could hear children playing and water running. I heard laughter and people chatting about the day they were young. And although I was tired, it was nice to have made a start with the things that could save my social life soon enough.

Jack had been silent, smiling lightly. I had briefly contemplated the odds of Jack noticing if I tried to get myself some more berries from his pocket.

My hands were half raised when he spoke up. 'Tell me something about your home.'

I scrunched up my eyebrows in confusion and he raised his in amusement.

'You tell me something, I tell you something?' I repeated the question he asked me once before.

Our conversation felt private although a lot of people where outside. Perhaps lots of people heard my 'life story' but simple ignored it because it was a bit dull. But it felt nice to be able to talk about home without crying in an unladylike way.

'-and I have this hamster at home. His name is Blubber and he bites and growls like a hound sometimes.' I continued as Jack let out a scoff.

'Blubber? ' he asked looking quite puzzled.

I couldn't keep myself from letting out a grin 'What? It's a good name for a hamster. I had 3 goldfishes once whom I called Eggs, Bacon and Toast!'.

'I wonder what you'll call your children. Beans and Biscuit?'

'You have just earned my friendship Jack, I congratulate thee.' I smiled while I started walking backwards in front of him.

'Ah. Oh. Er. That is..ah.. Thank you?' Jack said while looking quizzically.

'You're very welcome.' I grinned 'Now you tell me something!'

He paused while his eyes trailed behind me. When he finally looked down back at me, he grinned 'I'm very close to be relieved from duty I believe.'.

'Whu-?'

'Don't hurt the messenger' He said while plucking my fingers from his arm.

'Wha-!'

'I can assure you I have no trouble with escorting her Elmont, no need to worry.' Jack called to the person, who was probably Elmont, behind me.

I turned around and gave Elmont a grin.

'I never said there was a problem Jack.' Elmont answered. He looked tired, sweaty and was probably waiting for someone by the looks of it.

Somehow I felt a little happier when I saw Elmont, even if it was just a glance. 'You still have to teach me how to swordfight!' I cut in.

Don't judge me. Sword playing is cool. I don't care how bad I suck at it.

Elmont scoffed while he straightened up a little. 'The mere idea of you using a sword, or any other kind of weaponry at all is very amusing. Perhaps you can learn to peel an apple with it.'

I frowned at him, but Jack started to pull on my arm. Clearly wanting to continue with our walk. 'Oh come on! You must've read stories about people doing the impossible! You must've idolized heroes!'

'Not to the point of imitation _Milady._'


	17. Bonding with Ellie

**Surprise everyone!**

**Two**** chapters before I leave for Canada, man I'm exhausted!**

**After these two there'll be no updates for 3 weeks :( **

**But maybe I have Wi-Fi in my hotel, so there may be another update! Keep your hopes up!**

**Thank you for all the lovely messages! And welcome new followers! Enjoy the show!**

**This chapter is bonding time with Elmont~**

**The drama-lama will be back in the next chapter!**

**Review time!**

**okayfineMady: Wow! Thank you very much! That's a big compliment! Hope you will enjoy the next two chapters!**

**Stargazer197: I will finish the story! Patience my dear!**

**Sassygirl9811: These two chapter contain enough Elmont and Addy goodness, haha! Enjoy!**

**MoonCasterFlyingCircus: Thank you! Addy has some weird friends though, haha!**

**PaddySnuffles: Oh my! I love that name for a fish! I was obsessed with Pokémon too when I was around 10 years old, I even invented my own. Some ugly cat-thing I named Pookeymon (horrible, just horrible). And oh my! 40C! You must be melting!**

**Kira Tsumi: Thank you very much! I hope you'll enjoy this one too!**

**Jedi Kay-Kenobi: That is such a great compliment! Thank you very much! C:**

**Monopolyguy: Hahaha! For the real action you'll have to wait a bit longer I'm afraid!**

**Cantate: Ooh! Well I don't blame you! Howard is indeed very cute! **

* * *

I reached out with my arm and I parted my fingers. I let out a sigh as I lay in the grass that was still warm from the sun that had gone down.

No streetlights, no loud noises, no concrete walls and floors, no cars.

Just the moon and the stars.

I frowned, my arm still stretched towards the dark sky.

'Will you stop standing there like Lurch? You're creeping me out you fruitcake.' I said while remaining my position but turning my head to the figure standing next to me.

'And this is the emergency you informed me about miss Pitsman?'

I puckered my lips as I drew imaginary lines between the stars above with my index finger 'This is something important.' I muttered.

'Aha. Actually milady,' Elmont said as he kneeled next to me, looking a little miffed 'The words you had so strategically selected were: 'This is a very and extremely important emergency Elmont, drop your sword _dude _and come with me!'. '.

I wasn't sure how to answer that so I just didn't.

'If this is all Addy, I'll escort you back to the castle.'

'No! Don't be such a muffin.' I scolded while I tried to grab his leg which he pulled away before I could reach it.

'Please, just for a while! It's been so long since I've lain in the grass and stare at the stars.'

I frowned at seeing Elmont's still sceptical expression.

'I'm saying please here.' I muttered.

I heard a sigh and a dull 'thunk' as Elmont sat next to me.

_Victory!_

'I am aware you said please, no need to say it twice.' He said while he was rubbing the dirt from his hands slowly.

'Well-' I started as I laid back down on my back 'You're not a nice man, so I was just making sure.'.

'And you just need being looked after, so try to behave.' Elmont said half-heartedly. Our daily name-calling and bickering were probably becoming quite normal for him by now.

'It's not like I enjoy being dropped here by magic and having giants hunt me down.' I mumbled while I plucked a piece of grass from the earth and twirled it between my fingers.

When I looked back at him he had raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

'I do not!'

We continued our comfortable silence. The only things I heard was the slight rustle of leaves and the faint chewing noises of Elmont's horse that was tied to the tree a few steps behind us.

As I looked up I spotted the Great Bear and I tried to trace the constellation with the piece of grass between my fingers.

Silently I wondered what the giants would be doing now that there wasn't a crown around or some people to eat. Would they play games? Celebrate birthdays? How about weddings? I hadn't seen any female giants… or maybe I did but I couldn't tell the difference.

_Shudder._

'You're silent.' I stated, desperately trying to not imagine a female giant.

'I am thinking.'

'Don't hurt yourself.'

When I heard him shift I grabbed his arm 'Nonono! I'm sorry! I didn't mean that!' I pleaded.

'That notion wasn't in any way fair and it was motivated in spite. I deeply regret any misery that my comment may have caused you. And I hereby promise not to repeat any such slander at any time in the future. I offer a complete retraction of my complaint towards your genius.'

Elmont listened to my apology with faint amusement before plucking my fingers from his arm. He remained where he was though.

'Very charming, milady.'

'I try my best.' I laughed while I sat up and scooted over to him.

Folding my arms over my legs, I stared up at him as if waiting for him to tell me a good story.

Elmont seemed to notice it too although he wasn't even looking at me.

'Am I going to regret it if I ask you why you are staring?' he questioned after a while.

I shrugged 'Risk it.'.

'Why on earth are you staring?'

'Tell me stuff about you!'

'_Stuff_ about me?'

'Ya know,' I sighed as I shrugged 'who's your mom, your dad, your siblings, your friends? Things you like, don't like all that jazz.'.

'Is this your idea of an interrogation?'

I waved my hand in indifference.

He straightened his back, but did not say a word. So I suggested he started with his friends. He told me he had some friends among the soldiers, but he also mentioned that one of his friends was stationed in a village a few miles east. His name was William. He came around once in a while and I wouldn't like him.

I could agree on that one. After Elmont described him, I think I saw William once. He was shorter than me with short brown hair. A thin man, but very quick with a sword according to Elmont.

'I met Crawe when I was around your age. Our fathers used to be great friends until Crawe's father passed away in battle. He was a great man.'

'And your dad?' I questioned while I rested my head on my arms.

Elmont let out a scoff 'He is somewhat of an acquired taste. He is nobility, but turned into a righteous pain after he was found not fit for duty.'.

'Did he get hurt or something?' I asked. Elmont leaned back on his hands while gazing up towards the skies.

'He got old.' He muttered 'No good protecting the king if you cannot carry your own shield.'.

I remained quiet as he seemed deep in thought.

It had become really dark outside and by now I could only see some of the lights coming from the castle a few miles away. A cool breeze swept the hair in front of my face making me splutter and cough.

'Any-' _cough_ 'Brothers or sisters?'.

'No.'

'Ha! Good for you.' I snickered as I struggled with my hair 'Pain in the asses those are.'.

'No, you are lucky.' Elmont said as he plucked a big piece of hair away from my face with a frown. 'I wish I could have had a brother or a sister.'.

I thanked him silently before I brushed some dirt off of the side of my pants. Aladdin was still not happy about the fact that I bought a pair of slacks of the gold I had stolen from the giants, but I could not care less.

I can wear pants if I want to damnit.

'My mother passed away before she could have any more children.' Elmont said, his eyes still fixated on the stars.

'Oh.' I answered sluggishly. Not that I didn't feel sorry for him or anything because I did. But I heard sob stories before and let me tell you: Everyone had one. Back home me and a few others were silently considered as dull. That was because all of our parents were happily married and all of our relatives were still alive.

At least I hoped they were after I had gone.

'She used to tell me stories every night. She sang too, very off-key but I will not forget it.' Elmont continued 'A little like you perhaps.'.

'Hey come on! Where did that come from?' I spoke up, my voice slightly raised in disbelief.

I know my singing was shit, but no need to point it out!

Stuck up prick.

'On the other hand, she was a real married lady. You are barely a girl.'.

'You say that as if it's a bad thing!'

'It is not a bad thing.'

'Be nice.' I grumbled.

'You can find I can be a very nice man.'

'I suppose you go after your dad then?' I asked trying to change the subject.

Elmont gave a short nod, 'Despite that we have never gotten along.'

_Sob story part 2._

'He is not a bad man. He risked his life so save Crawe's father and he was a well-respected general. But after my mother died of the plague, I needed to story-tell myself to sleep.'

_Teen angst everybody._

'Oh come on.' I said with a frown.

That caught him off guard as he turned his head towards mine.

'Y-you-' I cringed at hearing my own voice.

Grow some balls Addy, say what you're gonna say!

'You are captain of the royal guard! You climbed a beanstalk without blinking an eye! You even jumped on one while it was falling back to earth! You slayed that asshole-what's-his-face! And you stopped an army of giants to barge into the castle!' I said while waving my hands all around me as if to prove my point.

'Not everyone can do that, you turned out like that despite all those things. So..so- so stop feeling sorry for yourself.'.

Whywhywhy?

I don't even. Where did that speech come from?!

'So just-' _God! Addy! Just stop you moron! _'You are already great, so I bet your father is proud. And even if he isn't. Who cares. Plenty of people left.'.

I took in a deep uneven breath as I went back and thought of all the things I had just said.

'That sounded almost like a compliment Lady Addy.' I heard Elmont say, smiling at my obvious discomfort.

_And just in case you are wondering: Elmont's shit-eating-grin is relatively worse than Jack's._

'Shut your mouth.' I grumbled 'That was a toe-curling speech.'.

'Oh I would not be so sure about that.' Elmont said, his grin was gone but his voice held laughter 'Very informative in my opinion.'.

I punched him in the shoulder but I don't think he noticed. He made me feel like I was a hamster trying to punch a lion or something.

Sorry that was a weird example.

'I think he would really like you.'

'Liar.' I scoffed 'Sounds like someone who would hate me.'.

Seeing as Elmont didn't fight me on this, I assumed he didn't really think so either.

Probably trying to be nice or something.

It was silent for a few more minutes as Elmont finally stood up.

'Let's go. Past your bed time.' He said as he stretched and pulled me on my feet.

While he was walking towards his horse I struggled to keep up.

'Hey! Teach me again how to sword-play!'

'No, Addy.' I heard him say, his back towards me as he untied the horse.

I skidded around the horse to face him, grin on my face.

'I must learn to protect myself and stuff!'

'No need Addy, you are a lady of Cloister. Frankly I have to take care of all that.' Elmont answered as he motioned for me to get on the horse.

'I am not royalty.'

'You are not, but you are under the protection of the crown. Now up you go.' Elmont said as he helped me on the horse.

That sounded way more romantic than it was.

Face full of butt everyone.

'My knight in shining tinfoil~' I chuckled when I was finally sitting on the saddle 'Doesn't that mean you should talk to me with more respect and everything?'

'It means that I will die to protect you, even if you were capable to fight.' Elmont answered in a huff as he got on the horse and sat behind me. 'The same goes for all the other people who are close to me, such as the king, Jack and the princess.'.

As I contemplated his words, I was hyper-aware of him sitting so close to me and my heart giving one loud thump. That was just unfair! Him sitting behind me and saying weird things like '_protect_' and '_close_'.

I blinked a few times before I could remember how to breathe again.

'Must you do that all the time?'

'Must I do what?'

'Say weird things all the time. I'm getting confused.'

'That does happen a lot, doesn't it?'

'Are you making fun of me?'


	18. Baby of mine

**This is the last time I'll make Addy cry you guys, I'm very sorry! I just wanted to give a bit more insight on how Addy thinks. She doesn't like being confused and she makes assumptions too fast. **

**Anyway! Last chapter before I leave! Enjoy my lovelies!**

* * *

'I need you to push again.'

'Geez lady, you've got some grip!'

'Keep going… keep going!'

The lady laying in the bed by my side squeezed my hand a little tighter. By now I was losing circulation in my hand, I swear.

'And breathe madam. Addy, can you get some more hot water?' Elinor asked even though her eyes didn't stray from the woman in labour.

I nodded and urged the woman to let go of my hand. As I refilled the small tub with hot water from the kettle hanging over the fire, I heard the lady groan in agony as another contraction hit her.

The air was musky outside, which made the atmosphere in the infirmary close to unbearable. When sound the thunder was heard from outside, I grabbed hold of the tub and carried it back to Elinor.

'Thank you dear. Push again miss Hall.'

The lady next to me reached for my hand as she let out another groan. She wasn't screaming (which I kinda expected she would do) but I could definitely tell she was in a hell-lot-a pain.

I wiped the sweat off the face and murmured silent comforts.

'And rest. Very good.' Elinor said as she patted miss Hall's left foot with her hand.

'You are doing great miss Hall! Just one more push and you'll have your next baby. How many children will you have then? Three?' Elinor questioned.

'F-Five.' The lady answered out of breath but with a smile nevertheless.

'Five already! How old is the eldest by now?'

'Four-r-t-…Fourteen.' She huffed 'Her n-name is Sandra.'.

'Sandra? That's a pretty name, I bet she looks just like you miss Hall.'

Miss Hall smiled as another bead of sweat made its way past her face. Her cheeks were red and her blonde curls were matted and damp with sweat. Dark circles rested underneath her blue eyes due the lack of sleep.

I let out a yawn when I thought of the 5 hours me and Elinor had spent with her.

'You can push again miss Hall, make it a big one!' Elinor announced as miss Hall nodded.

It went so fast after that I couldn't even…

I had seen deliveries before on TV and stuff.

You know! Those fat ladies screaming and yelling and throwing things. And then they pull some kind of shrimp out of their va-jay-jay and that's pretty much it. Then the endorphins kick in and the mother is smiling and saying something about how cute their baby is. How the baby has the father's nose or the mother's eyes and everything…

But this… I never experienced it during my internship, so this was the first time.

With a final loud groan and a final encouragement from Elinor it was over. Since I sat next to the lady I couldn't see the real thing, but I did see Elinor fumbling with something between the mother's feet.

Abruptly Elinor's shoulders stopped moving.

And it hadn't gone unnoticed by the mother either.

'W-why isn't it crying? What's going on?' the woman asked, her voice sounding weak.

I looked over at Elinor and saw the concern in her eyes. All of the sudden I heard a croak and a cry coming from the end of the bed, unmistakably a baby's.

What worried me more was that Elinor's concern did not waver.

'It's a boy miss Hall.' Elinor stated after a while, her eyes not leaving the baby 'Addy could you grab some ointment and some very clean dressings please.' .

I tried to catch the eye of Elinor, but she didn't seem to want to let me in on anything.

'Quick now child. Quick!' She ordered.

I'm not sure why I didn't take a peek, I think I was just very scared of what might have happened during the delivery.

As I grabbed some gauzes from the other side of the room, I looked at Elinor and the new mother. They were talking quietly while Elinor held the baby in her hands. Not wanting to miss the conversation, I tried to grab the supplies as quickly as I could. But when I was just 2 meters away from the bed Elinor's eyes stopped me in my tracks.

'Ah. Thank you Addy, you can leave them on the table there.' As she nodded to the table standing a few feet away from her beside the end of the bed.

She still held the baby in her arms as if she was showing him to the mother. But the mother was pale and big tears formed in her pale blue eyes.

Taking a look from the mother to the baby and to Elinor, my eyebrows scrunched together in confusion.

'That'll be enough for today Addy, thank you. I will see you again tomorrow morning. '

Now that didn't comfort me in the slightest.

And as I was about to take a step forwards Elinor stopped me once again. 'Addy, your shift is over. I will see you tomorrow.' Her eyes were ablaze and begging me to turn around and go.

Miss Hall let out a cry as she buried her face in her hands.

And then I heard the scream I had first expected during the delivery.

'Wh-what is- what is going on?' I asked, still weary.

'Sir Howard!' Elinor called, easily cutting through the sobs that came from the woman in tears.

I heard footsteps but I was glued to the spot, my eyes still wide in confusion.

'Something's wrong? Can I do something? Why is she crying?' I asked while my eyes didn't leave the mother who still buried her face in her hands.

By now the baby started crying louder and Elinor's face looked panicked.

Taking a few steps forward I looked at the mother and to the baby. I felt the heavy hand of Howard placed on my shoulder.

'Wh-what..' I started as I stared at the baby's back. The baby was shivering and crying by now and Elinor refused to meet my eyes.

'But… a split back… I know it can't be helped, but he'll be able to function like a normal human being. It's perfectly possible he will walk, he just needs a few adjustments! That's all!' I exclaimed as I stared at the split back of the small baby in Elinor's hand.

The mother started wailing even louder and Elinor stayed silent.

My eyes darted between them in confusion as I swatted the hand from my shoulder.

'What?'

'Addy, I think it's best you take your leave now.'

'No wait,' I started again, still confused. With a huff I swatted the hand that had been planted on my shoulder again. 'What… what is your solution?'.

It stayed silent.

That started a fire inside my belly. A big fire. It's tips burning the ends of my lungs and causing a bad taste in my mouth.

'What are you going to do?' I asked. This time I directed the question towards the mother in tears.

Again silence.

'What are you going to do to him!'.

I had raised my voice and that was all Howard needed to drag my sorry ass out of the infirmary.

'No, wait!' I said as I grasped the arm that led me away.

Howard's arm clamped around my body as I started to pull and push to get away. 'Stop it Howard! Damn you!'. I called once again for Elinor.

By now I started to panic and breathe loudly and irregular.

My nails buried themselves in Howard's armour as I tried to make my way back into the room by the bed.

I heard the large oak door creak and I looked at Howard in confusion. He must've wanted to say something, but I didn't want to hear it.

'I'll take him!' I yelled as Howard stumbled back a little but not losing his grip on me.

I struggled again while I tried to look at the mother, the baby or Elinor. Anybody. But nobody was returning my gaze.

'It's okay! I can do it! Just- I'll take him!'.

I felt myself being pushed through the door now.

'Please!' I begged as I got a glance of Elinor's face.

'Please!' I shouted, but the heavy door slammed shut with a loud noise.

The crude sound of the door closing made me shut up as the information started to sink in. The air around me was still damp and the wind blew my hair in my face, it had grown so much longer since I got here.

'What is happening?' I asked nobody in particular while I stared at the door. I noticed that Howard wanted to catch my eye, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to look at anybody anymore.

'It's going to be okay. I'm sure-'

'You're not sure of anything!' I interrupted as I felt the same familiar rage boiling up inside me. 'You don't know anything!'.

I started for the door again but Howard was having none of that.

His grip loosened slightly only to return in full force as he was lifting me up from the ground. I clawed at his back, trying desperately to reach the door of the infirmary.

'Howard! Damnit! I'll never forgive you! Do you hear me?' I said as I slammed my fist into his armor.

'I'll never forgive you if you don't put me down!' I yelled as I frantically started to reach for anything to hold onto.

'Please!' I cried as formed my hands into fists again.

I'm not sure how far Howard had been carrying me, but I didn't calm down in the slightest. I trashed, I screamed, I cried, I begged, I yelled and none of Howards soothing words comforted me.

We must've been a sight as we passed a very confused captain of the guard, the royal adviser and 2 soldiers.

My face felt wet and my throat felt raw. I wasn't a pretty crier, but Elmont probably knew that already. My nose was red as were my cheeks and lips. My eyes were swollen and I sniffed and whimpered every second.

Words were probably exchanged, but I was still trashing around and I couldn't seem to settle down.

I heard different things and I noticed from the way Howard talked that he wanted to get me away from the crowd.

Clutching his armor I took a few uneven breaths. Through my hair I caught Elmont's eyes and in response I turned my head away.

Then I hesitated. Let him just see. Let him see how miserable and cruel his world is compared to mine. Let him read it off my face.

More words were exchanged and still I couldn't tell who was talking, maybe if I were paying attention I would have.

I did notice Howard's grip on me lessening, and my feet touching the stone tiles.

Grabbing my chance, I tried to make a dash towards the infirmary. But two steady hands grabbed me by the shoulders and gently directed me towards an armored chest.

My arms dangled next to my sides, completely useless. As if a puppeteer had cut all of the strings that held me upright.

I took more uneven breaths as my hands slowly started to twitch again. Hot tears rolled over my cheeks as I turned my head to lay my cheek at the cold steel.

For a short moment my lips twitched upwards as I noticed the CSI-look-a-like-badge on the arm that was holding me.

* * *

Elmont didn't say anything. Well he talked but not to me. He simply had his two arms wrapped around me as if to hide me from the world.

It became quieter and I felt someone pat my head awkwardly. Probably Howard, he's cute and awkward like that.

Due to the fact that we were alone now, Elmont probably didn't know what to do. I felt Elmont shift but I clutched his armor for dear life.

'Breathe.'

I raised my head a little at hearing that word fall from his mouth.

'Breathe Addy. ' Elmont repeated.

Why was it that everything he said would still be able to sound somewhat authoritative? It would've been funny if I wasn't so freaked out by everything.

I inhaled sharply as I lifted my head from his chest. He let go of me as his hands dropped to the sides of my arms.

'Do not hold your breath.' He continued, his voice quiet and somewhat scolding 'The moment you stop breathing milady, is the moment you stop thinking.'.

Instead of bringing me to my room, Elmont brought me to the kitchen. That seemed to be the place he brought me every time I cried.

Oh. And for the record for those weirdo's out there. He brought me. No carrying and no pulling. And none of that weird bridal-style-carrying crap (thank god.). Comprendre?

He sat me down on a chair by a long wooden table. The tiles underneath my feet were black and seemed somewhat smoother than the ones outside.

People had been carving pictures in the table and I traced one of the figures with my index finger.

I had stopped crying but I still let out a sniff as Elmont placed a bowl of fruit in front of me. He didn't hesitate as he sat down beside me, leaned back and looked at me.

To be honest here, I didn't expect to start crying and making a scene. Spina Bifida happens to newborns sometimes, I knew those things happened.

It was probably the reaction of Elinor and the mother that was freaking me out, and the fact Howard said and did the wrong things at the wrong time.

I have to make sure to apologize to him soon.

We sat there in silence for a while. When I finally started plucking at a strawberry I heard Elmont chuckle.

When I turned my head I saw a small smile, his eyes still scanning my face.

'I suppose you feel reluctant to discuss the matter?' he questioned while he let out a breath.

_You suppose correctly._

Again with the staring.

'Are you going to start talking anytime soon?' Elmont asked again after a few minutes.

I shook my head in reluctance while I continued to play with the strawberry in my hands.

'Well, that is a first.'.

That made me frown at him as I popped the strawberry in my mouth. Elmont raised his eyebrows attentively, as if he was sure I was going to say something anyway. When he was sure I wasn't going to say anything, he leaned back in his chair.

'Very well, in that case you can listen.'.

I let out a sigh as I ran my fingers through my hair. I smelt of sweat and dirt, I needed a bath.

'First things first. Howard told me of a baby you saw today and something was wrong with it? Is that correct?' Elmont questioned while he crossed his legs.

I gave a small nod in return.

'Well, I suppose it was not very pleasant for you. And somehow all of a sudden you start pulling the castle apart brick by brick. ' Elmont paused and smiled as if he remembered something 'You also hit sir Howard on the head multiple times. You did not bury your thumbs in your palms were you?'.

That caused me to frown again as I let out a growl.

'Yes, perhaps that was a foolish thing to say.' He admitted. 'In case you were wondering, the baby's future is out of your hands. The mother can do what she deems necessary. That means that she has a choice to make. Not you.'.

Well. That made me more miserable than I already was.

It was silent again except for the occasional rumble of thunder outside.

My fingers where making random patterns on the top of the wooden table.

'I do not believe you have lost your mind Addy.' He continued after a while. 'I also do not believe you were expecting your own response'.

He brushed his hand over his face and let out a sigh 'But I cannot speak for everyone. Not a lot of these individuals have the capacity to understand you fully.'.

_And why do you think you can?_

But instead of changing my thoughts into words, I simply buried my face in my hands.

Elmont was having none of that apparently because I felt his fingers prying my hands away from my face. I didn't let him succeed when I felt tears of embarrassment form in my eyes.

God! All those people… Howard and Elinor and Elmont and the nurses and the mother… The baby boy…

The touch of his fingers faded but only for a short time. He had grabbed my wrists and I tensed. It wasn't painful but a bit too gentle. Him touching my hands felt far too intimate and it made me shift in discomfort.

'I am not saying this to hurt you.' He sighed, not letting go. 'You have great kindness in you. It is possible people will mistake that kindness for weakness.'.

I felt more uncomfortable by the minute. I felt a familiar tug inside my chest and I really really **really** wanted my hands back.

'But in time they will feel themselves wilting in your shadow.'.

Despite my attempts to not make eye contact, I couldn't help but look once.

_Well_… Those were one special kind of colour. Did that colour even exist?

When I heard the door open I broke our Twilight moment and stared back at the table. I heard someone rumbling in the kitchen and I felt Elmont's hands leave my wrists.

I expected to feel more relieved but I didn't. The uncomfortable tug inside my chest remained.

'That sounded almost like a compliment sir Elmont.' I said, smiling at the stick-figures that were carved into the table.

They were holding hands.


	19. Brown Blue

**Canada was awesome and my holiday lasts three more weeks! I didn't have Wi-Fi when I was staying in Canada, but I did make drafts all the way to chapter 25. So expect more updates!**

**On a side note, I did some research before I wrote chapter 18. It seemed baby's with spina bifida usually died because of the lack of proper medicine and hygiene. Or they were simply left to die or killed. If they did live they usually grew up to be beggars or were used for public amusement. Sometimes they were under the care of a religious order. But then again… I wasn't there!**

**Addy's reaction to Elmont holding her hand might be confusing. But Addy is kind of a dunce in figuring things out about herself…**

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**Review time!**

**Voilet Jayde Elizabeth Rose: Wow! Thank you! I know the feeling of wanting to read everything after finding a story you like! I hope you will enjoy this next chapter too!**

**MoonCastersFlyingCircus: Oh no! Don't explode yet! It'll get better :P By the way, I think it was a very brave decision you made of starting over with your stories. Although I really REALLY liked them, you show aspects of being a true artist!**

**Jedi Kay-Kenobi: I actually thought of that, but I wasn't convinced that Addy would've been helpful in that situation. Especially because she's never witnessed a delivery or handled baby's before. But I agree that if she did it would've been a happier ending… Thank you so much for your kind reviews, I really enjoy reading them!**

**Cantate: Haha! I'm glad you understand Addy so well! Spina Bifida is not a nice thing, and we're indeed lucky we can provide the proper care for them. I really like your story by the way, my fellow countrymen ;). Nice job!**

**SerendipityAEY: Yes, chapter 18 reeked of angst! Haha! I am glad you noticed that Elmont and Addy still aren't that close yet. It will change of course, but I thought it might be fun to take it slow and easy. Glad to see you still enjoy the story!**

**Monopolyguy: Thank you very much! Your country is awesome, be proud of it! C:**

**MidnightShadow07: Oh dear! Please don't cry! It will be the last super angsty chapter, I promise! But there is some drama on the way~ I hope you'll enjoy this chapter! (Thanks for your kinds words by the way, I had a lovely trip! You guys are awesome!)**

** Stargazer197: Oh no! Don't cry! I promise I'll make it up to you!**

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**Question! What music do you listen to when you write? I am quite curious to know!**

* * *

I wasn't okay.

I wasn't okay in the slightest.

Somehow I had locked myself inside my room for a few days with Howard on guard. I don't know exactly why I lost my cool with him a few days back. Or why I simply ignored his proclamations of regret through my door.

Howard was very impulsive. His reaction to me being upset had been too quick, no matter his good intentions.

Turning on my back I stared at the ceiling as I went over all the history-lessons I had in my younger years.

I landed in the middle-ages… that was after Christ right? Live and let live? I had seen some monasteries in my trip with Jack one day. But then again, baby's with a split back without medical care… There was a big chance the baby boy would die. Or thrown into the lake by his mother, left in the forest or sold to a convent.

I shut my eyes as I thought of all the possibilities. If only there was a way to reach him. Reach that tiny… tiny little human.

My hands covered my face with a silent slap.

**Stop it.**

I let out a sigh as I pushed myself up from my seat and let out a deep breath.

**Just stop it.**

Walking towards the door in a slow pace, I started wondering if I should get back to the infirmary. My hand hovered over the lever. And before I decided if I should open the door and face the world, I heard a knock.

'Yeah… Howard your next great speech of sympathy will just have to wait until tomorrow darling.'

It was quiet for some time before I was met with a familiar feminine voice.

'Lady Addy? It is me.'

I pulled a face as I tried to smother my groan of frustration. Had it been any other moment I would have opened the door and make up an excuse, but this day I simply settled for mouthing silent cusses and swears.

Did I forget it was stupid stalking spineless bimbo day?

'I thought that you might enjoy to accompany me with a walk through the garden today?'.

NO.

A brief pause fell between me and Julia in which I plopped my forehead against the oaken door, my hands pinching the material of my dress.

'Perhaps another day?'

Oh god, now I felt guilty. Damn her prettiness and her suave talking skills.

'Okay, look…' I started while I closed my eyes in exhaustion . 'The reason I am in here… The true reason I'm in here is because I'm sick. Sick of spending time in this God-awful city. Sick of trying to understand and talking to a lot of stuck up, medieval pricks. Jesus! They're so uptight and ice-cold I could pour hot metal up their butts, and out comes a sword!'

My face melted away to a mortified one. Did I just mention putting metal in people's asses to a duchess?

Why.

WHY?!

Before I could apologize I heard a forced chuckle.

'How about the forest then? To get some air perhaps?' her girlish voice chimed in.

I stared at my feet while I considered her request.

'Okay.'.

When I had finally stepped outside my eyes found Howard slouched against the wall next to my door.

'Shall we go lady Addy?' Lady Julia said as she took a few steps down the hall, but I continued my glaring at Howard.

As soon as he caught my gaze he stood more upright. Howard looked at me with shame 'I am sorry, I had no choice…' he started, but suddenly his eyes gleamed in excitement 'But look! It's the duchess! Aren't you excited?!'.

* * *

So it's not like we were in the forest straight away, we had to walk to the stables first which was a short walk.

God… I hoped she could ride a horse on her own, because I sure couldn't.

Lady Julia looked truly mesmerizing in her rose-coloured dress, it seemed that eyes were continuously fixated on her. Not that I blamed them of course.

She smiled at me and asked a few questions. I can't really remember any of the answers that I gave…

Actually I believe I just let out a few 'Mhmmm's' as a reaction. How appropriate…

I stumbled over my own two feet when the door was opened for us… or lady Julia to be more specific.

When I stood inside the stable the familiar smell of horses and wood came flooding back to me. But this time I was not alone with Jack, hiding from babysitters and girlfriends. No. This time there were a few soldiers in the stables currently saddling up.

As one of the stable-boys greeted lady Julia, I silently wondered if there were any horses left. The boy led lady Julia to the back and I followed.

My eyes shifted over to Elmont who stood next to a horse and merely three feet away from me. His lips pressed together, one hand loosely holding onto the reigns, one hand on the saddle and his blue eyes boring into my own.

My feet stopped.

I wasn't sure what we were doing. It didn't feel like a staring contest, but I'm sure it looked like one to anyone who might've been watching. When I gazed back I noticed that there was some sort of intensity he was sending.

…

He was quite...

I heard a cough and someone asking a question. My eyes shifted for a moment but when I looked back I noticed his gaze had not strayed.

His eyes were not searching mine, he was just staring into mine. Usually I would've grinned or looked away.

'Captain?'

He straightened and directed his group, clearly himself again. They were riding out before I knew it.

I turned my eyes way from his disappearing back the minute I noticed the dull but still painful twinge inside my chest.

From far away I heard my name being called. When I glanced upwards I saw lady Julia's face close to mine, obviously wondering if her words were reaching me.

I breathed in slowly as I recalled blue eyes clashing into my brown ones. They didn't stray for one moment…

She said my name again while sharing a glance with the stable boy next to her. The boy with frizzy hair coughed and I raised my head back up.

Lady Julia had a smile playing on her lips while she nodded towards one of the horses.

I blinked at the black horse.

'I will not.' I insisted.

* * *

'Are you certain you do not want to ride a horse?'

'I am fine walking, but thanks.'

There was a silence between us as we headed towards the forest. Lady Julia on a horse, me on my feet. The sun shone on my head and I rubbed the top of my hair to get rid of the feeling.

'I thought you rich guys would like… ride on diamond covered unicorns or something.' I mumbled, not intending for that to sound like a question.

It seemed that Julia noticed this and ignored my comment.

God it was windy today. Warm but still breezy enough to make my swallow my own hair.

When we finally arrived at the forest, I revelled in the rustling of leaves and the smell of wet dirt and grass.

The leaves cast dancing shadows on the ground as me and Julia headed on. Julia insisted on staying on the horse all the way but I didn't mind that much.

More space between us. Yay~

'What is your relationship with the Captain of the royal guard?'

I stumbled and by doing so I almost walked into the cherry tree next to me.

_It's getting kind of weird that people keep asking about our relationship._

'We're just…'

_friends?_

'acquaintances.'

_Better._

'Are you sure? He is a such fine man.'

_Wow… Cue Celine Dion music and the dreamy look in her eyes._

'Uh-huh.' I answered 'I never said he wasn't.'

_Whoa whoa whoa! Wake up and smell that horses backside Addy. Are you seriously considering telling personal stuff to Miss Sandra Dee? Do not feed her ammunition she could use against you!_

I flattened out my dress as I gave her an amused glare (I don't know how that works, but I pulled it off.) 'Are you in love with him or something?' I challenged.

Lady Julia did not seem to notice my challenging expression and smiled at me 'I never said I wasn't'.

I popped one of the blackberries in my mouth I had plucked from a bush next to me. Staring back at the horse walking next to me, I felt some sort of weight fall upon my shoulders. It made me slump a little.

'Captain Elmont, defender of the royal family and Cloister.' I heard lady Julia murmur dreamily. 'The dream of every woman'.

_Hah! I'll introduce you to Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp lady. You need to get out more often._

But instead of telling her about the more handsome guys I knew about, I simply cast her stiff look. 'He's like forty.'

Julia shook her head slowly while a small smile crept onto her face. I crossed my arms and looked at her curiously.

'He is most certainly not. But I do believe he is older than you. I would say about 8 or 10 years?'

I nodded slowly while looking at the road. We were nearing a field. When I got closer I saw that it was farming land.

'About Christian…'

I made an unintelligible sound while I squinted my eyes to see what kind of crops were growing on the small piece of land.

'I tried to get Christian to one of the religious orders. A monastery a few days riding from Cloister.'

'Wait what? Christian?' I finally asked as I gave up on figuring out about the farmer and his land.

Smiling one of her signature smiles, lady Julia looked down at me 'The baby boy you care about so deeply.'.

I blinked as I swallowed. 'What-' I began as I took a few steps towards her 'What do you mean tried?'.

It was probably best if I simply ignored her. But I could not.

'I sent a message to the family.'.

_That means that she has a choice to make. Not you._

Agh. Damnit Elmont. Get out of my head. Not the time or place.

I licked my lips nervously as I took a step backwards.

_'Let it go.'_

_'H-his name is Christian.'_

_'Let it go Addy.'_

_'He has a name.'_

_'Stop it.'_

_'Christian.'_

_'Breathe.'_

_'The moment you stop... breathing…'_

_'Breathe Addy.'_

'Lady Addy? You are looking pale!'.

A shiver went down my back as I unclenched my fingers that had somehow wound themselves into my dress.

I took a deep breath.

'Must be the summer heat.' I grinned when I looked up at her.

Lady Julia didn't seem convinced but she didn't pry.

'It seems there is a carriage coming this way.' She said as she lead her horse to the side. Her gaze was fixated onto the road before us.

I followed her gaze, seeing a small dark figure in the distance.

And somehow I got a bad feeling, the feeling I can describe as cold and icy fingers wrapping around my neck.


	20. Trouble in paradise

Oh dear, Addy is still such a child! Damsel in distress!

Thanks for reading! And welcome new followers! C:

**MidnightShadow:** Good question! I was thinking about it, but it will explained a little in this chapter and more full later on in the story. You're staying sharp! C:

I get what you mean! I like to listen to different kind of songs throughout the story. I like the songs though! I'm making a playlist :)

**Jedi Kay-Kenobi:** Glad you like it! I wouldn't mind being teleported either! Although I think I'd be killed almost instantly, haha! Nice song by the way! I haven't seen your story yet, I'll have to check that out as soon as I can! Star wars is awesome.

**MoonCastersFlyingCircus:** The plot thickens :P Thanks for your kind reviews!

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Do you know the feeling of almost getting hit by a car or have an angry dog running your way ready to strike? I know it sounds weird, but hear me out. That feeling of choking, the dull sound of your blood being pumped through your body more quickly, the shiver that runs all the way to the top of your head. But most of all that it seems your eyes are picking up so much more details then you usually do. Well… at least mine do. I once read it has something to do with your 'flight or fight response'.

You notice small things like the colour of the shirt of the person 5 meters away from you, or that a few feet away to your right is a car which has one broken headlight. Or that Lady Julia's usually clear face showed a very small beauty spot on the outer edge of her right eye.

That the figures I saw in the distance belonged to three knights riding on horses in front of the carriage.

Or that carriage in the distance is decorated with blues and golds.

And that it was slowing down.

The wind didn't cease blowing as it toyed with the leaves overhead. Other than that there was an eerie silence until the clicking and clacking sound of hooves hitting the earth joined in.

At seeing the coat of arms that unmistakably belonged to the city of Cloister, I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

'Hold up there you! Whatchou doin' round 'ere. No guards or nuthin.' The coachman sneered at us. His face was so wrinkly that it gave me the impression he was a really nice old man with a turtle face. I have a thing for wrinkles apparently… Or turtles.

But now that he had opened his mouth I liked him a good deal less.

'Good sir, it is only a stroll. We are not planning to go to far.' The angelic voice of Julia answered before I could.

'What on earth are ye thinkin' lass! Last time there'd be a beanstalk growin' outta the dirt if ye hadn't noticed! What else ye gonna expect 'round 'ere?'

'I can assure you, we are perfectly capable of handling our own-'

The coachman let out a scoff, effectively interrupting lady Julia.

'Two lasses? Ye gonne swat yer hat when trouble comes yer way?'

I had never seen lady Julia frown, but this time she frowned so heavily at the man that he started to look away shyly.

'Hey! Turtle-tank reject! You're kinda rude and positively pissing me off. Ride along!'

…

The words rolled off of my tongue before I knew it.

The man turned his pale eyes towards me. Then he looked back at lady Julia, who now held her chin a little higher than usual.

A cloud covered the sun like a thin blanket when the golden curtains of the carriage were slid aside by a slender hand.

Isabelle seemed to glow despite the missing sunrays. When she caught sight of me, her concerned face twisted into a happy smile. One that I now realize I liked a lot more than the smiles of lady Julia.

'I know that voice from anywhere.' She mused as she scooted over to the window to get a little closer to me.

'Please pardon my coachman, he's been like that since I was 3 years old.' She whispered as she shot me a wink.

I let out a snort as I squinted my eyes. The cloud had lifted and the sun had shone brightly in my eyes again.

'What are you in a carriage for?' I questioned, my throat felt drier than a bucket of sand.

'I was traveling.'

'Why?'

'Dress fitting.'

'Dress fitting?'

'Yes.'

'Don't you have enough dresses?'

'No such thing.'

Lady Julia and the rest of the happy circus couple regarded us curiously. Clearly wondering why I **dared** to talk to the bloody **princess** (!) of Cloister so casually.

Another gush of wind picked up the strands of my hair and threw them in my face. While I tried to splutter as majestically as I could, I let out a smile. I finale gave up and pushed my hair quite roughly behind my ears.

'So can I see it? I'm guessing it's pink.'

Isabelle let out a grin as she looked at me with curiosity 'Why pink?'.

The most honest answer was :Because I'd never seen you in a pink dress. But I went for: 'Female instincts.'.

That made her choke out a girlish laugh and I happily chuckled along with her. Even though I was not sure why I wasn't offended by her laughing at my 'female instincts'.

It was a girly moment that could easily fit into a cartoon or an anime or something. A moment filled with flowers and glitters.

It would have continued a while longer if I didn't hear lady Julia let out a horrified scream.

It would have continued a while longer if that dreaded sinking feeling came back from a few moments before.

It would have continued a while longer if I hadn't turned around to face her and wonder why she was looking so upset.

Probably had something to do with the arrow sticking out of the coachman's neck.

* * *

Holy snickers and mars. Cue minor heart attack and tripping over my own two feet.

Didn't last long though.

The feeling of cold steel against my neck still isn't a feeling I like. Although I really wished it had been Crowe this time again and not some foul-smelling dude with rotting teeth.

I didn't see much as my hair was being yanked backwards, exposing more of my neck to the slightly blunt sword. But it was still sharp enough to cut and blunt enough to make it hurt.

There was a lot of shouting and screaming. The only ones I didn't hear was lady Julia or Isabelle.

My lungs begged for more air desperately, but no matter how deeply I inhaled they still felt constricted. I guess that's what fear does to you.

When I started to get nauseous the noise had stopped. Only the loud breathing of couple of people remained.

I gasped for another breath as I heard a loud and crude voice. 'Where the bloody 'ell is tha' other wench?'

'Got away I reckon.' The person behind me said, his chest rumbling against my back. His foul breath made my body jerk, pressing the blade more deeply against my neck.

'She had a horse, ran off before 'e could get a hold o' her.'

'Don't ye blame me!' The man behind me yelled. By now I could barely stand on my own two feet. Damnit! This was not the bloody time to faint dramatically!

Something clattered on the floor with a dull thud as I heard footsteps approaching.

'Yer a bloody fool Jon!'

'Too late te go after 'er!'

'Shut your mouths!' A deeper voice yelled, clearly the head of these smelly rats. 'The duchess will understand. She'll do the work for us! Now your job is to loot the rest of this carriage, I suggest you hurry up before I nail your tongues to your foreheads.'

My hand found the forearm of my captor who still held the sword against my throat. I didn't feel good at all.

'Why'd ye be clinging on lass? Ye don like standing 'ere with me?' he whispered into my ear. Usually I would've said something back but right now I was afraid I would vomit all over the guy if I did.

When I heard a whine that could only belong to a female, I felt bile build up in my throat.

'Hold still precious. You're the greatest treasure in the carriage! Ain't that right?' I heard a man say. I think he was standing only a few feet away from me.

I heard a struggle and someone letting out a yelp in pain.

'She bit me! The bloody bitch bit me!'

'Addy! Ad-'

Now I was positive that I heard Isabelle. But even though I tried to send her a look, the grip on my hair remained.

'Bloody minx!'

'Shut your trap! Tie her up and move on. I don't fancy being sent to the dungeons.'

'What 'bout this one then?' The man behind me named Jon said, his voice betraying the nervous feeling he had about being sent to prison.

'What-'

No sound was made for a few seconds. I heard an exasperated sigh 'Jon. What'd I tell you 'bout that. Let the hair go.'

'What?!'

'She looks terrible. Let her go.'

The grip on my hair lessened only a bit before letting go completely, as if he didn't really want to despite his leader's orders.

Although I didn't feel a hand in my hair, it took me a while before I raised my head fully.

The sight of it all almost made me regret it.

The coachman was dead. So were the three knights that I last saw sitting on their horses. My eyes darted to the three bodies on the floor. It had been messy.

Like someone just hacked through them multiple times.

From watching Elmont training soldiers, I knew there were multiple ways to kill a man without making him suffer too much.

But this was just brutal. They were killed by people filled with hate. Even a man who had never held a sword in his life would have done a better job.

Butchered.

One of the horses was gone and so was lady Julia and her horse. The other two horses were held by their reigns by an unfamiliar man. Clothed in the same kind of clothes Jack had worn when I first saw him.

There were six of them. Six men with greasy hair and carrying axes, swords and bows.

I recognized the leader fast enough. The leader looked like he hadn't bathed either, but his clothes betrayed him. It was slightly more fancy but his attire didn't match.

He was wearing a light green tunic with a shiny breastplate that had probably once belonged to one of the knights of cloister. Around his fingers were multiple rings. I was pretty sure that some of them were meant for ladies. He missed a few teeth but that didn't stop him from grinning happily.

'What's your name ?' he called while his fox shaped face was turned towards his blade.

That one did look sharp.

My eyes found Isabelle's. There was a scratch on her cheek running all the way to her ear. Her eyes tried to send me a message, but since I had no experience in reading minds she opened her mouth.

'She's my cousin, Addy. From my mother's side.' She huffed.

'You speak when spoken to!' Jon spat at her. His knuckles whitened when he clenched his sword tightly.

'Leave her. We need her in one piece.' Leader-man said while he narrowed his eyes the slightest bit.

'Lady Addy. Cousin of Princess Isabelle of Cloister. Why do I find that hard to believe?' He said while peering at me. His face was so close to mine that I could see my own reflection in them 'You are quite the odd-looking girl.'

'She's from Bellham!' Isabelle interrupted again before she got high-fived in the face by the man holding her arm. The sound was loud and it shook me out of my panicked thoughts.

'Damnit Mort. What did I say.' Leader man exhaled noisily as he turned his attention away from me.

'Bellham explains a lot. Odd people livin' there. I once 'eard of a man takin' books an' a sheep to a brothel and-' Jon explained before being interrupted.

'Take the girls and wrap it up. Leave the message or the carriage Jon. Take the horses. Let's go!' Leader-man interrupted him.

'What message?' Jon questioned.

'Carve my name in the carriage.'

''E can't write.' Another man cut in. A handsome man with sharp eyes who was busy tying Isabelle up 'Nobody can.'

Leader-man let out a long groan before he cast me a bored look 'In these times I find it hard to control my anger. Do you understand what I mean?'.

I hoped he didn't expect an answer from me because I couldn't find my voice. Luckily he didn't and he turned around and proceeded to do it himself.

The sword was removed from my neck. But before I could rejoice it was pressed against my back, forcing me to walk toward one of the horses they had undoubtedly brought with them before they robbed the carriage.

When my hands were being tied with rope that I knew would rub my skin raw, I had been wondering where Julia went. I wondered whether she was able to ride the horse properly with that wavy dress and what she would tell the king. What she would tell Elmont.

I was thrown over the horse, effectively knocking the wind out of me. The horse stank and my hair stuck to my forehead.

To be honest I only thought the whole 'throw the prisoners over the horses arse' happened in movies.

Apparently I had been proven wrong again.

It took a while before someone mounted the horse.

'Where we off to?'

'West. We make camp by the river.'

'Then what are we waitin' for lads! Ride on!'

The whole ride was bumpy and made me want to throw up. It wasn't comfortable in the least and it made wish I had never gotten out of bed that Wednesday when I landed in Giant town.

Often I had dreamed of getting swooped to a magical kingdom. To have an adventure. Like I was meant for something better. For something that happened in movies and books.

But I wasn't safely tucked away in bed, staring at the letters of a book in jealousy. Because I could close a book whenever I wanted to. I could end a journey when it got scary or nasty.

But anything could go wrong in this journey.

With me in particular.


	21. If you go out in the woods tonight

**Guest:** I'm sorry you didn't really like the beginning, but I'm glad you enjoy the story now that it's developed! Addy is indeed a character with a funny sense of humor, but she is quite childish for her age and has to grow up. But she's a girl with fears too, a little heads up for this chapter C:

**Anna:** The duchess is a reference to lady Julia. But you are right, Julia is not a duchess, she's a merchant's daughter! So why is everybody calling her duchess all of the sudden? It will be explained in the next chapter!

**MoonCastersFlyingCircus**: Thank you! Yes Elmont should get off his lazy ass and save the ladies! Hurry up stupid knight D:

**MidnightShadow07:** If you have any more songs please let me know! It helps so much when I write with music! C: You can put it in a private message or right here if you like!

And you have a good eye! But I can't spoil the story yet! What I can tell you is that there's a lot of other things going on besides the kidnapping ;)

**Jedi Kay-Kenobi:** Thank you! I really wanted them to sound crass C:  
I agree that Elmont should save the ladies! But I'm afraid it might take a chapter or 2 ;)

* * *

**Oh Owen, Elmont's gonna whoop your ass for this.**

**Warning! No sexual themes but rape is mentioned!**

**Addy is only human, and right now she is scared shitless. No cheeky remarks in this chapter I'm afraid.**

**I apologise for the delay, a lot of things are going on in my personal life. The reason why this chapter is quite short is because I cut this chapter into two pieces. So you can expect the second part this weekend!**

* * *

It was almost night when I heard the splashing of water. A lonely moon peeked over the clouds that had formed in the sky. There were no hills. Just dark, tall and dreary woods. The big trees sighed and bent when the wind picked up. The river was wide but not that deep as I could see the rocks beneath it when we had passed over it.

The group had silently agreed to seek cover in the woods as 2 people stood by the river keeping watch.

The clump of trees offered a little shelter, but it didn't keep us safe from the wind. Hence I saw Isabelle shiver when she was pulled off of a horse and pushed to the ground.

I didn't dare ask to sit next to Isabelle when they placed me a good 10 feet away from her. This whole ordeal had turned me into a scared little girl, trembling in fear.

No fire was made this night due to the wind. I prayed to God I would fall asleep so they wouldn't ask me any questions. But I couldn't. I was wide-eyed in fear. My eyes almost fell out of their sockets.

We didn't get anything to eat and soon my stomach started to protest.

One of the men started to pull out a loaf of bread and handed it to the others. As they ate their bread I stared in fascination. I don't know how they did it, but they still made a mess of eating a simple piece of dough.

When I saw one of the men walk up to Isabelle I panicked, but he only seemed to talk to her.

I couldn't hear what he was saying.

But he left her alone soon enough and headed my way.

When he finally stood before me he gave me a once over. He was a thin man but I didn't let it fool me, my eyes never strayed from the sword hanging from his belt.

'Ye dun look like royalty te me.' He said after a few minutes. He got down on his knees as he narrowed his eyes 'Ye wanne know wha'? She keep' tellin' me,' he continued as he nodded his head towards Isabelle 'Ye be. Bu' I dun trust ye.'.

Before I knew it a blade was pointed between my eyes and I was leaning backwards. He grinned a teeth-less grin as he waved his knife before my eyes. 'So ye be'er keep still. Mort o'er there ain't like me. He ain't being shy o' cuttin' away yer wee fingers one by one if ye try anythin'. '

Apparently my look of horror was enough for him as he let out a roar of laughter before stomping away.

My eyes flashed towards Isabelle, but it had gotten too dark to see. The moon had taken shelter behind the dark clouds. And the only thing I could do was stare into the darkness, twitching whenever I heard one of the men sigh or scratch his back.

There were no stars tonight.

Or the nights after.

* * *

'Let's 'ave stop shall we?'

'My toes about to fall off!'

'Shut yer whinen'.'

''Sides, dem horses need te drink.' The man I recognized as Mort yelled.

'Fine fine. We rest here. Copper on watch!'

'Aw, what?'

'Do it.'

The men let out a sigh as they sat on the rocks near the river. We had made our way upstream and since they had to spare the horses some of them had to walk.

Before I knew it I was yanked off the horse and dumped on the rocky ground. Jon let out a laugh as he crouched next to me.

''D ya know why his name be Copper?' He whispered as he nodded to the man on watch 'His father be a smith. Beating 'im every day since 'e been born. That's how 'e got the leg.'

Copper's right femur was a little bent, it had probably been broken and not fixed properly. I saw him stumble and limp every so often.

' 'E got 'nough of it 'e did. 'E went to oven's an' poured 'ot metal on his father's crown while he be sleepin'. Not a pretty sight tha' is.'

_Shouldn't he be called 'Metal' then or something?_

'Load o' wubbish!' Another man said, I think he only had 3 teeth by the looks of it. 'I 'eard his leg got hit by a copper mallet!'

Jon snorted as he patted my head twice and let his hand rest on it.

'Wha' do you know? Ye only jus' got 'ere ye worm!'

The other man held up his axe and pointed it at Jon as if to warn him. ' Wha' did chou just say!'

I cringed as Jon gripped my hair and pulled my face closer to his.

I must've looked frightened because his smile started to grow.

'Why don'chou tell 'im princess? I believe 'e didn' 'ear me!' He said as chuckled and he gave me a sloppy kiss on my cheek.

'Enough of that. Bring her here.' A calm voice interrupted Jon. Jon glared at his back as he let go of my hair but grabbed my arm in the process.

Even though I was dropped on the rocks again, I was relieved to see that princess Isabelle was sitting next to me.

Jon ruffled my hair as I flinched away. Isabelle grabbed my hand soon enough. It wasn't much but it did comfort me somewhat.

Jon's hand however was grabbed by the leader standing in front of us.

'What did I tell you,' He hissed as his other hand seized the stained shirt Jon wore. 'Nobility we keep in one piece, do you understand?'

Jon scoffed but I saw a twinge of fear in his eyes.

'I assure ye, just some fun with the bird.'

The leader pulled on the shirt so that his face was almost pushed against Jon's. I was certain Jon could see his reflection in the other man's eyes.

'If it was a useless snivelling broad I wouldn't care what you do. You could've taken the wench back to the woods if you preferred. But if you harm nobility she ain't worth the dirt on our shoes. So I suggest you find another place to relieve yourself of tension. Do you understand?'

Jon's eyes were wide when the other man grabbed his knife and pointed it at his eye.

'Or I will pop out your eyes' he mused in a soft voice 'and next is your tongue and genitals. Stem and roots, do you understand?'.

Jon nodded hastily, squeezing his eyes shut as the blade pressing against his left eyelid.

My eyes darted towards Isabelle, but her face betrayed no emotion. How did she stay so calm? I was hyperventilating by now.

'Yes' Jon stuttered 'I apologize. I'm sorry.'

'Yes yes, that much is obvious,' the other man sighed, seeming to contemplate whether he should poke an eye out or not. I hoped he did, but would that save me or Isabelle from getting murdered or possibly raped? I wasn't sure.

The leader seemed to have made up his mind about it and pushed Jon away with great force. Jon stumbled backwards, looking at his superior with an alarmed look in his eyes.

'Go refill the water bags you useless runt.' The leader sneered, not taking his eyes off him yet.

'Yes of course. I 'ope I'll be o' better service te you. '

The leader only let out a grunt in return, watching him closely.

When Jon finally decided to leave he turned his attention to us. He was smiling so brightly that even Isabelle's hand couldn't keep me from shaking

After a lengthy and a very uncomfortable pause he took a step forwards and widened his arms as if to welcome us.

'Forgive me for not talking to my little hostages!' he said jokingly while he pressed the tip of his knife against his index finger.

'I have not introduced myself have I? How rude of me, my name is Owen. Leader of this lot.' he nodded his head towards the men at the last sentence.

'I can assure you my father will pay you handsomely if you return us safely.'

That was the first time I heard Isabelle speak that day, her voice was calm but her eyes were blazing.

Owen waved his hand through the air as if to wave her statement away. Like it had been a fly or something.

'Yes yes, you have said so before. It's not your daddy's money I'm worried about.'

Isabelle squeezed my hand one more time before letting go of me. 'It is most likely you will get caught if you keep us here any longer, they are searching for us. If you return us to the nearest village unharmed-'

'Yes, you have said so before. Not to worry, I will make sure nothing will happen to you or your niece if you don't cause trouble and follow my rules.' He said before pointing his blade towards us, all humour drained from his face.

'Now.' he started and I desperately tried to reach for any part of Isabelle that my hand could reach. Luckily she grabbed my hand with both of hers and kept it there. That man was scaring the hell out of me.

'Rule number one: No trying to escape. You can take your chances, be my guest. But we will hunt you and find you, I can assure you of that. And maybe you won't be so lucky when it's Jon who finds you, not me.' Owen let out a short laugh when he looked at my face.

'What's wrong bird? Not expecting that?'

I couldn't answer. But I think he didn't mind so much.

'Did you think,' he mused while he knelt before me, pointing the knife in my face 'that since I made sure you weren't raped and murdered by Jon just now, I was sure to like you? I did that out of the goodness of my heart?'

Did I? Maybe.

'Silly little goose,' he chuckled while scraping his knife over my left cheek softly 'If you were but a peasant girl I'd let him do as he pleased. Maybe have all the men have a go at you, I would not care less.'

I felt tears prickling behind my eyes but I couldn't let myself look away from him. His knife pressed underneath my chin.

'You would scream, so they would cut out your tongue even if you begged. And when they-'

'Stop it! I'm telling you to stop it!' Isabelle interrupted him, having enough of my torture.

Owen had no expression on his face when he turned his face towards her.

'You are scaring her. You better stop it right now.'

'Or what?'

I noticed that even though Isabelle tried to seem brave she was still trembling.

'I will make sure your head will decorate one of the walls in my room.' She replied icily.

_Jesus._

My eyes widened as I managed a small smile for the first time.

Apparently Owen found her threat hilarious. It caught the attention of the rest when he kept laughing so loud and long. He laughed until there were tears forming in his colourless eyes.

Finally he stopped and looked almost admiringly at Isabelle. He wrenched our hands apart and grabbed Isabelle's hand and splayed it on the somewhat flat rock in front of us.

'That will cost you a finger nail.' He stated softly while still smiling lovingly at her. He put the tip of the knife on her cuticle and I felt Isabelle give a jerk beside me.

My fear long forgotten, I grabbed both his wrists tightly. Isabelle's eyes darted to mine in horror. I wasn't sure it was because she was scared or because I did something stupid. Perhaps a little bit of both.

'Knock it off!' I said, shocked by the sound of my own voice. It had sounded way too scared to sound anywhere near commanding.

His hands did not move from their place but he did let out a chuckle. 'She talks! I thought you were a mute for a while. I suppose it is a relief to not see you blubbering for a change.'.

His words were true but they still stung somehow. When I didn't let go he regarded me with anger.

'Let go.'

I didn't. I couldn't. I kept my fingers wrapped around his wrists as tightly as I could.

'Damnit pigeon, you are choosing a bloody bad time to grow a backbone. Let go.'

I shook my head, my nails digging into his skin.

With full force he gave a yank and pulled his hands free. By doing this he had to let go of Isabelle and she quickly pulled her hand back into her lap.

Owen gave a sigh and wiped away a stray of hair from Isabelle's face. Isabelle's finger was bleeding, but luckily it still had a nail.

'Perhaps it is too soon to be cutting off things you don't need. Your father won't pay me any less because of that. An arm of leg sure, but a nail you can miss.' He grabbed Isabelle's face harshly and pulled it close to his 'But if you even give me cheek again I will assure you I will give you the same treatment I told this niece of yours about'.

Isabelle nodded, still not fully aware of her bleeding finger.

'Good! No running away, No cheek, No talking to anyone especially each other and all will be fine and dandy. Breaking any of these rules will make Owen very upset, alright pigeons?' Owen said while he stood up, his head tilted to the side as he pointed to his ear.

'Yes.' Me and Isabelle reluctantly murmured, being upset ourselves.

He smiled one last time at us before he yelled at the others to get a move on.

I didn't get the chance to comfort Isabelle because I was hauled to my feet again. This time I was sat on the horse and not dropped over it.

Perhaps that was a slight improvement.

If that's what you call it.


	22. You're sure of a big surprise

**MoonCastersFlyingCircus: **It's about to get a little worse after this chapter I'm afraid :C

**Jedi Kay-Kenobi: **Oh wow! You are so right! That does sound like the perfect background music for Owen! I love that music! Thank you for your review! c:

**MidnightShadow07: **Yes! The questions! Don't worry, they'll be answered in time. I promise! Thanks again for the awesome music you sent me! I listened to it the whole time! I love it!

**BlackCatDemon133: **Yep, the thieves are quite scary! I didn't want any sexy and handsome villains with a sad background in this story haha! They are quite alright in here, but there's a shit-storm coming I'm afraid…

**Guest:** Oh please don't apologize! I interpreted your message wrong! Thank you very much for your kind words. Addy has to grow more back-bone, she's all bark but no bite hahaha!

**Stargazer197:** Not here yet! Next chapter. :D

* * *

Brace yourselves. Bad things are about to happen.

* * *

My weary eyes took in my oh so familiar surroundings once again. The dull colour of the rocks clashing with the bright green shade of the leaves brushing against it. I wasn't sure how many days had passed since we had been locked in this stupid cave. It wasn't even a cool Batman cave, only three people fitted in there. One guard, Isabelle and myself.

And even though I felt frustration towards our kidnappers, it was hard to maintain. Don't get me wrong, I was livid. Very angry, but I was also physically and mentally exhausted. It had been days since I had heard someone talk and the amount of food we received wasn't even close to being sufficient.

There were three others outside on the lookout, I knew that much. Owen had told us ourselves. He wasn't among them though, he took the horses with the others and left.

At night my eyes stared into the dark without purpose. I heard the animals of the night and a lot of other things that reminded me of creatures that I read about in books. Oh man, I missed books.

I missed letters and the images created by them. I missed being safe. I missed Elmont.

Now I wasn't even motivated to deny that.

I couldn't even control the way I felt.

I couldn't motivate myself in not feeling sorry for myself.

Honestly I didn't care that much anymore.

But then again. I wasn't aware that my stay here would end soon.

* * *

'Eat.' Our abductor ordered as he dropped two pieces of bread onto the floor in front of us. I picked it up quickly and ate it. The bread was almost as tough as a brick but I didn't care, I was hungry.

Isabelle didn't think it was that much of a problem either, she ate just as fast as I did.

The cave smelled bad and it was damp, making my clothes soggy by now. My hands were dirty and stained, my hair felt greasy and by bum was really soar from sitting that much.

'I need to go.' Isabelle stated quietly after a while.

Our guard looked up for a short while before smiling a little.

'No, you ain't goin' anywhere.'

'Please.' Isabelle tried again, she looked very pale.

The guard simply shook his head and settled for inspecting his axe beside him.

Isabelle shrunk back, her face twisted into one of embarrassment. She bit her lip nervously and casted her eyes downwards.

Since I hated seeing her like that, I tried again.

'Dude, she's not talking about letting us go free. We all have to pee once in a life time. Unless you want us to do it in here, I suggest you take her outside or something.'

To be honest, I didn't dare speak like that on the first few days. But fury aided me from total submission. And when Owen wasn't around…

You can call it bravery if you will. I just figured: If I'm going to die here anyway, I'm not wasting my time being scared.

As I said, I just don't care anymore.

The guard looked a little flushed before he sent a kick towards my foot, but I dodged it. He then called for another guard, which surprised me. Cause… ya know, you want to be quiet as possible if folks are looking for a princess right?

Isabelle was taken away by the same handsome tall man I had seen on the first day this all began.

And then I was alone again with only a guard by my side.

_'You know that the only chance that you will get saved is when you are with the princess?'_

I squeezed my eyes shut when the thought crossed my mind.

Shut your mouth. That isn't true.

_'Then who do you think is going to look for you? Your mom? Your brother?'_

Elinor might. Howard. Elmont too. Jack.

_'Why would Jack search for you? The princess is the priority right now.'_

I dropped my forehead on my knees and wrapped my arms around them.

Stop making me feel useless.

_'Stop being useless.'_

My face flushed.

_'_I don't get why I am arguing with myself.' I mumbled.

_'You don't have anyone else to talk to. And trust me, there is plenty I want to talk to you about.'_

Oh. Great.

_'First things first. Why are you casually throwing Elmont in the middle in the list of who might come and save you?'_

I didn't think you would notice.

_'Well I did.'_

So what? How is that weird?

_'He was the first one you thought of.'_

So?

_'So I want to know.'_

Go away.

_'What are you so bothered about? I am simply pointing it out and you get upset.'_

This is getting ridiculous.

_'Let's get literal then. Are you in love with Elmont?'_

Excuse you?

_'I think you are.'_

Don't flatter yourself.

_'I am you.'_

You'll lose yourself. Alright? That's what they say.

_'Ah. Spare me the 'If I attach myself it will be bad' spiel.'_

Screw you.

I let out a sigh and counted the leaves on the shrubbery that covered the entrance to our Batman cave. Bright orange berries hung from the branches.

Being bored out of my mind again, I settled for the only thing that kept my occupied lately: braiding the loose ends from my damaged dress. The end of my dress was dirty and stained with mud but I didn't care. The threads slipped easily between my fingers and I became quite engrossed with it.

It had made me think though.

Elmont had made it clear that we were 'sort of' friends. Protecting me and all that jazz. I remember I felt so uncomfortable when he told me that. And when he- my fingers hesitated and the threads almost slipped from my fingers.

And when he grabbed my wrists I felt it.

I felt horrible.

Why was that? If I were in love I would expect something different right? I trusted him though. I trusted him not to spoil me or do what I wanted him to do, but do the thing that would make me stronger. God… all I could think about was how much I wanted to have my hands to myself again. To want that feeling to stop.

I had been in love before! I've had two boyfriends whom I really liked. The feeling I had with them was fluttery and happy, excited even. It was nothing like this uncomfortable tightness in my chest.

_'You're in love~'_

God frickin' damnit. Shut the hell up. I'm not done figuring this one out yet.

_'Take your time.'_

Whatever. If I was in love it wouldn't be uncomfortable right?

_'It's the most uncomfortable thing in the world.'_

Shut up! I wasn't talking to you.

I disliked the feeling, but I didn't mind Elmont holding my hands. Damnit! So what if he held my hands? At least… it wasn't like I felt nothing. I mean, I would mind if he got married to Julia.

_When_ he gets married to Julia, I corrected myself, not 'if'.

I cringed at the unhappy sting in my chest.

I had a bad taste in my mouth and I decided I wouldn't act on anything just yet. Maybe if I didn't think about it anymore, it might turn to normal.

Isabelle was gone for a good long time now and I began to worry. It wasn't as if they would hurt her, but the whole 'I'll cut your nail off if I want' made me a little edgy.

I rolled on my side facing the rocks, trying to close my eyes and fall asleep since I couldn't do so in the night.

_'What about Howard?'_

Hng. You again. Bugger off.

_'Are you in love with him? You're not are you?'_

Then why ask?

_'To make you understand. You've seen the way he looks at you, he's not trying to hide it.'_

… I have.

_'He won't keep it a secret forever.'_

I know.

_'So what are you going to do about it?'_

What would you frickin' do about it?!

_'Give him a sock and tell him he is a free elf now.'_

It was a good thing Isabelle shook my shoulder right then. Otherwise I might have talked to myself to the brink of insanity.

She gave me a small smile before sitting down next to me.

Her hair was damp and tangled.

I sat up immediately, 'You got a bath?' I blurted out before I knew it.

'No talking!' The thief proclaimed in a loud voice.

'I want one of those.' I said to the guard who shot me an uninterested look.

'You better, you reek.' He mumbled as he beckoned Isabelle's escort back to our Batman cave.

I was practically swaggering out of that cave. I'm getting a bath! Who cares about all the other shitty things in life?

The tall handsome man brought me to a small clearing. The lake was probably part of the river we had passed a few days ago.

A smile found its way on my face when I approached the lake to find that I could see the rocks beneath the clear water. The water was so clean I could cry.

I turned around to the man with a smile, only to be met with a frown.

'Ye have 10 minutes. No runnin' away, I will catch ye.'

'Will you turn around?' I asked him, ignoring all the rest.

He rolled his eyes as he turned around and leaned against an old tree that grew a few feet from the lake.

I stared at him for a few seconds before discarding my dress and underwear. The guard twitched at my inhale of breath when my feet touched the cold water, but he didn't move.

Knowing that standing there wouldn't help me adjust, I simply ran into the water and ducked my head in. I wrinkled my nose at seeing the cloudy water around me.

I tried to scrub myself as clean as I could, also trying to get rid of the greasiness of my hair.

I didn't stay in too long since it was really cold and I ran out and reached for my dress.

Grabbing hold of my shoes I looked around me. The only things surrounding me were trees and small rocks. Well, there was a big rock next to me which I could use to put on my shoes.

I frowned when I saw my hairy legs. Are they sure they didn't have any razors here?

When I grabbed my other shoes that lay on the wet sand, my eyes widened.

Covered by leaves there in the sand was a barely covered 'A' written.

I hesitated for a moment before brushing the leaves aside.

I almost sobbed when I saw the elegant letters written in the sand.

_Addy, I hope you are alright. Do not worry, they will find us. I left clues when we were walking. I hope you will write to me too, do not make it too long though._

Memo's in the mud.

That could be the title of a book.

I swiped away at the mud and wrote a short message in return. Frankly I was scared to death that my guard had turned back around and came to get me.

Isabelle, I'm okay. I didn't notice you doing that? What did you do? You are such a smart person! Let's make this our writing place!

I drew a smiley at the end before covering it with leaves.

This had brought a little joy back in these cloudy days.

* * *

_She is getting married, to the duke of Wells that is. That is why everyone is calling her by that name, I thought you knew! Her wedding is in winter, but we have not received invitations yet._

I frowned at the message.

Julia is getting married?

Then what the hell was Isabelle talking about when we saw her for the first time! Was she making a fool of me or something? Does she have any idea how worried I had been over that!

I wiped her message away, angrily writing my own response.

Isabelle and I had writing each other message for a while now, it had been the highlight of my day.

Until now. What the hell was she worrying me for that whole time?

I muttered to myself when I wrote my message.

_Then why didn't you tell me from the beginning? And why did Elmont invite her over then? Are you making fun of me?_

The wind blew my hair in my face and I blinked rapidly.

Angrily I put my hair behind my ears.

But when I opened them I saw fabric, I felt a hand on my shoulder and my handsome guard glare at my message before looking back at me.


	23. If you go out in the woods today

Thanks for reading! Here's a very long chapter for you!

**Cantate:** I hope you enjoyed your holiday! I'm sorry I had to cut the sand writing short, it would have gotten too long I'm afraid.

And thank you! Your English is also very good! It's such an awesome language :)

Howard is _very_ cute. Like some sort of a… fluffy small animal. Hahaha!

**MidnightShadow07:** They did get caught! And the penalty isn't very nice! Thank you for still reading! C:

**BlackCatDemon133:** Here's the update! Quite a dramatic one I'm afraid!

**SerendipityAEY:** I really liked the message writing too, and I'm kind of sad I had to cut it so short. Otherwise this chapter would have gone on forever! Haha! And I think Addy is having feelings too~

**MoonCastersFlyingCircus:** I actually have no idea! What on earth would they shave with? Maybe wax? *gets out a bubble pipe*

* * *

It was a relief when the first thing Isabelle did was hug me when I entered the cave. But it started to worry her when I refused to let her go.

I was frightened.

He had seen me. He had seen me write. Caught in the act. But he said nothing to me, he just brought me back and gathered the rest.

I swallowed the tears as I tried to hide the thoughts of what might happen.

We sat back into the caves, Isabelle still holding me like a baby.

Maybe he'd just brush it off! I could tell him I was just doodling or something?

Perhaps not, I thought when I heard people talking outside our cave.

They were arguing, I could hear it from here. The only one not participating in it was the guard sitting on the opposite side of us. I don't think he even knew what was going on until people started to raise their voice.

'I've taken a look. It's a call for 'elp.'

''ow'd you know tha'?!'

'Ye can't read.'

'Well, what else would the bird write?'

'Ye're n'idiot.'

'Do not call me an idiot.' I heard a voice growl.

The sound of shuffling filled my ears and I buried my face deeper into Isabelle's shoulder. This was my fault.

'Well, if ye 'ad just stayed with the lass she would not 'ave 'ad the opportunity!'

'Ye've doomed us all! Who knows what she been tellin'! Maybe them warriors be watchin' us right now!'

'Considerin' Who te cut out 'is tongue first!'

'Aye, Owen was right 'bout you.'

Blades were drawn.

'A'right. Settle down you two.'

'Hahaha! Stay mad! This's the closest I get te goin' to a play! '

Isabelle's hand covered the top of my head as we listened to the fight going on and on.

'I said settle down!' one of the men roared. Apparently he was the superior because silence filled my ears.

No sound was heard for another minute before I heard people sheathing their weapons.

'Owen will be 'ere before long. Preserve what the girl wrote and let 'im decide.'

My heart stopped. I swear it just stopped beating.

'Now back to yer posts!'

Grumbling and mumbling the men seemed to obey and crawl back to where they were hiding.

People were angry and we were in trouble.

* * *

Seconds, minutes, hours, and days seemed to go by. I was still stuck in that stupid cave and I was missing food and water. I knew I would end up in massive trouble if I wasn't fed soon. Isabelle as well, she lost so much weight. The outline of her made me cringe.

The fear of facing the wrath of Owen was replaced by this terrible feeling of being hungry all the time. And before I knew it a small notion had found its way into my head. That perhaps nobody was coming for us.

Ha. Trouble was my middle name anyway.

It was raining when I opened my eyes. The dim light of the morning sun came creeping between the branches that covered the entrance.

I had so much trouble sitting up. God I was tired.

My eyes shifted over towards where Isabelle usually slept, right beside me. I gave a jump when I saw she was staring at me intently, like she was fighting a silent war with herself. Her cheekbones had become more prominent and her skin had lost her glow now that we weren't fed that often.

She nodded towards the guard was lightly dozing.

I'm using the word lightly here, because I was pretty sure he'd wake up if we stood up.

Not that it didn't cross my mind.

Isabelle grabbed my hand to grab my attention.

'I'm sick.' She whispered.

I frowned and put my hand over her forehead.

She shook her head and swatted my hand off her brow.

'Well what's wrong with you then?' I croaked , looking her over with worry.

The guard stirred and I held my breath. But Isabelle didn't.

'I have pains in here.' while pointing to her stomach. She answered calmly, but the sound of her voice betrayed her.

I tried to think while my eyes were fixed on the guard who was starting to wake up. Signs of malnourishment perhaps? Not enough vitamins?

'Did you throw up?' I questioned but Isabelle didn't get a chance to answer me, for the guard's eyes made contact with mine.

He looked me square in the face and I felt a sudden surge of panic run through my veins. He didn't even say anything, just looked me dead in the face before getting up with a groan. He pushed away his jacket that lay beside him and sat up more comfortably. Other than that stupid jacket this cave was an empty, dark and cold place that smelled of wet dog.

'No talking!' he grumbled as he pointed in my direction 'Or I'll leave ye outside in the rain with Jon for a night.'

I went to sit back, not really impressed with his threat. But Isabelle pulled me towards her, her face worried and utterly lost. It had shocked me to be honest, she was such a strong girl.

'You have to help me.' She whimpered while she buried her face in the crook of my neck. 'This is bad. Really bad. You have no idea.'

'Oi! Shut your mouths!' the guard yelled, but I just sat there in shock. It took me a while before answering her.

'Then tell me what is wrong, tell me.' I ordered, my voice sounding oddly calm.

Instead of standing up the guard sat on one of his knees, putting his weight on his right knee and reached out for us with one hand.

I sat up more straight before pulling Isabelle further into my embrace. 'What is wrong? Tell me. Just tell me.' I demanded.

The guard let out a cuss and started to get up slowly. And no matter how many times I asked Isabelle would not answer me. I only felt her hand find the side of my shirt, keeping herself pressed against me. I was sure I felt tears too.

'Get off of each other. Now!' the guard yelled grabbing Isabelle's shoulder. He got down on his knees pulling Isabelle from my grip. But I wouldn't let that happen. I freed my leg from underneath me and gave swift kick, hoping it landed on his groin.

I missed and my foot landed on the side of his knee. Because of the angle he was sitting in and the angle of my kick his knee twisted. I heard a crack and the guard fell backwards while screaming in pain.

That turned out better than I thought.

I hoped that I ripped the tendons in his knee.

Bastard.

His wailing caught the attention of the guards outside and I heard people approaching.

'Isabelle! You have to tell me! ' I yelled, angry with everything at the moment.

Isabelle shook her head and I almost wanted to throttle her.

'Isabelle!' I repeated once more, prying her fingers from my dress.

One of the guards from outside pushed the bushes outside and looked at the guard lying on the floor, and then back at us. The guard was on his back clutching his knee, the other one walking over to him a little hunched over because he was too tall to stand up straight.

'She's sick!' I yelled at the man who just came in.

He looked quite disturbed and confused, but he recovered in no time. 'Ye bloody bitch!' he snarled at me while he took 2 steps towards us.

He grabbed my wrists and forced me to release the hold I had on Isabelle. But Isabelle was still clinging to me.

And when I thought my wrists were about to break, she leaned close to my ear and finally talked.

'Addy I am pregnant.' She whispered hoarsely. 'I am pregnant Addy.'. She let out a sob as we were finally ripped apart.

The guard grabbed me by the front of my dress, rage etched on his face. My eyes still searched Isabelle's and then searched her stomach. No obvious sign of pregnancy, what the hell? When did this turn into a Spanish drama-series moment?

'Did ye do that? Did ye?!' he roared while he shook me.

My hand went to my head as the world spun for a moment.

This did not sit well with my captor.

'No! Don't!' I heard Isabelle scream. But a loud cracking sound filled my ears as a sharp flash of pain went through my face. I was bewildered as the pain intensified. Tenfold.

Warm metallic-tasting liquid ran into my mouth and I lifted my hand to my face carefully.

Tears filled in my eyes as my fingers touched my nose.

He punched me in the face.

He punched me in the face!?

It was only when I noticed I couldn't breathe through my nose, I knew it was broken.

I panicked and my stomach heaved. But even though I lunged to the side to throw up, there was not a lot in my stomach.

When the inside of my stomach was completely empty I calmed down a little. Drops of blood gathered on the stone floor beneath me as tears formed in my eyes.

It stung so bad. Like pieced of glass being pressed into my skin.

'What's goin' on in there!' I heard a voice yell while more footsteps gathered outside.

'Tryin' to escape!' my abuser yelled 'That wench wounded Thomas!'.

'Let me take a look at that.'

I heard the injured guard scream out in agony as one of the others 'took a look at it.'.

The blood in my mouth made me even more nauseous.

I felt cool hands on my head and I looked up at the teary-eyed Isabelle.

'Tha's no good.'

'Can 'e walk?'

'No. He needs a medic.'

'Dirty minx!' I heard the man yell.

Isabelle helped me sit up and took a look at my face. She reached out to touch my nose but I shrunk back.

'We'll take 'im to a medic after we're done 'ere.'

'What 'bout the troublemaker o'er there?'

My eyes darted to the side to see two men standing and the one on the floor. I cringed when Isabelle wiped the blood off my chin and mouth with her sleeve, not daring to touch my nose.

'I'll keep my eye on them, they ain't goin' te try anything. Leave Thomas here, 'e need some peace an' quiet I believe.' The handsome tall man who caught me writing messages spoke up. Next to him was the guy who had hit me.

One word: beefcake.

'Back te yer post and inform William.'

The other one let out a grumble before walking out.

Part of me was scared at what was to come, but another part of me couldn't care any less anymore.

And as Isabelle and I held each other during that whole day, I had managed to drift off into another uncomfortable sleep.

I had awakened as I heard noises outside. It was well into midday and it didn't rain as steady as this morning.

There was still a dull pain in my nose but I didn't let it fool me that it was improving. I needed medical attention as much as Thomas did. He still groaned in agony as our tall and handsome replacement-guard sat next to him. He was staring at us intently, like that was all there was to his life. Like he had nothing better to do.

Freak.

Isabelle was still asleep beside me but she stirred when I sat up to be able to listen to the voices outside.

Desperately hoping it wasn't Owen and his gang. I started to bite at my fingernails at the thought.

Isabelle had found my hand and squeezed it gently. When I looked at her she was giving me a slight smile, but I found no comfort at it. She was pregnant and we were in serious danger here. Nothing I did or said so far had worked in my favor.

We had been sitting there for around half an hour before a voice called out.

'Bring the birds.'

* * *

When I saw Owen I bit back a startled sob.

Shit had hit the fan.

He looked very tired, as if he had been traveling for a few days. But what scared me more is that he looked cheerful as well.

Only one of the men he took with him was beside him, holding onto the reigns of a horse. I vaguely remember wondering where the other horses had gone.

Owen had taken a few steps towards Isabelle and me. I actually felt like it was me who held Isabelle's hand this time and not the other way around.

Well, if you're desperate you stop giving shits.

'My ladies!' he said as he stopped in front of us, eyeing our interlocked hands. He was wearing new clothes. His tunic being dark red instead of green, making him look more pale than usual. More jewels and necklaces were around his neck and around his fingers were 3 more rings.

'I see my father paid you.' Isabelle said in a small voice. This time I squeezed her hand gently. Isabelle always seemed to surprise me. When I thought she had no more strength left in her, she still fights her way through.

Owen didn't seem to think so and looked at her rather comically.

'Not your daddy sweetheart.'

I felt Isabelle shuffle uncomfortably where she stood.

'Now I have so much faith in you,' Owen started while he circled us, 'Such loyal, honest ladies.'. He stopped behind Isabelle and lifted a strand from her hair and brought it up to his nose. 'Such beautiful ladies.' He mumbled.

'So!' he announced quite happily while standing in between us, breaking our interlocked hands 'Imagine my surprise.'.

Isabelle tried to back away but Owen grabbed her face roughly. I took a step forwards but two firm hands stopped me from doing so.

'When William told me I didn't even believe him did I?' he announced while he looked at Isabelle tenderly.

'But when they showed me the evidence, it all makes sense now don't it?'

His face was very close to Isabelle's and his fingers were pressed into her cheeks.

'Very beautiful, considerate and lovely ladies.' He whispered scoldingly when he waved a finger in front of Isabelle's face 'Just not very smart.'.

He pushed her face away with great force, almost making her topple over on the spot.

'Yes, there are troublemakers. What did you say this one did?' He asked while nodded towards me and leaned on one of the shoulder of one his subordinates.

'Kicked his knee!'

''E can't walk anymore!'

'He can't walk anymore…' he said to me, voice filled with some sort of amused reproach.

'That true puppet?' he asked me after a while, but he stood his ground.

I think I wanted to look brave, but I still felt he knew something more. Something I couldn't put my finger on. So when I raised my chin and nodded, I still felt like a small child.

Owen chuckled while he shook his head as if he remembered something. Then he nodded to the man behind me who brought me forward towards Owen.

The rain had almost stopped, but still I felt cold.

He pointed towards me halfheartedly before laughing again. 'Do you- hahaha! Do y-you know what the funny thing is about this?'.

Owen lunged forwards and grabbed me by the neck. 'That I would have broken Ian's neck when I found out he hit you.' He whispered while his index finger tapped the tip of my nose teasingly. It hurt like hell and I felt the familiar prickling behind my eyes.

'I needed you in one piece,' he started giggling again. 'But you ain't worth my spit are ya?'

His laughing ceased and he shot me a dark look 'You ain't worth a dime.'.

The hand that held me neck gave me a squeeze and I let out a gasp 'You been lying to me bird.' He said to Isabelle as he continued to squeeze harder and harder.

But when I brought up my hands in front of me and against his chest he grabbed them in one of his. His other hand grabbed my hair roughly and he chuckled.

'Thought you'd have the best of me? You can't break free. You can't pay.' He sneered down at me cruelly.

I was shivering by now. I was actually cold. Owen was so close to me when he had grabbed my hands with only one hand. I started to shake uncontrollably.

I wanted to disappear, cry and beat him till he was nothing but a bloody pulp. But I couldn't, the tension was too terrible.

'So what are you little madam? Because I know what you ain't.' he whispered to me almost gently. But Owen was hard to predict.

His face scrunched up in anger as he pulled my hair harshly and started screaming.

'Yes! _What_ are you! Nothing more than a filthy, lying, wretched little wench! Not a single drop of royal blood in you I was told! He ain't paying a cent for you!'

He let me go all together which caused me to fall onto the muddy ground.

Owen let out a few more laughs before he looked down at me, 'So what use are you to us little bird?'.

It was silent.

No sound except the heavy breathing coming from my mouth.

Why couldn't I move, why couldn't I fight him or run? I just sat there in the mud, unable to do anything but stare at him. Owen shouting had taken me by surprise, since I only heard him whisper threats. I couldn't tell which one I found more disturbing.

'No? Nothing?' Owen questioned, looking a little put down. 'Are you not going to make an attempt at persuading me to spare you from an ill-fated end?'.

I kept my lips firmly pressed together.

Hey if I was going down, I'd want to do it in a cool way.

That sounds really cool but I was also shitting my pants right now. And I was really trying not to start crying and ask for my mother at the moment.

'No?' Owen said while he pouted. He knelt in front of me and grabbed my left hand. He stroked my hand lightly with his fingers before smiling cruelly.

'I'll tell you what we do with people that are no use to me...' he whispered while he patted my hand with a smile.

'Jon! Did I not hear you say you fancied this bird?' he questioned loudly, not breaking eye contact with me.

_I can't breathe! I-I can't-_

I looked up when I heard Jon snickering somewhere to my right. 'I think it's time you show her, do you not?' Owen continued before wiping away one of the tears that somehow made its way down my cheek.

I felt like I was choking.

'Don't touch her!' I heard Isabelle yell angrily, but I could only look at Owen in horror. 'Don't you touch her!' she yelled again, clearly struggling with the man who held her back.

Owen cackled as he looked at Isabelle and back to me.

'You gonna save her then? You are not doing a spectacular job so far pigeon.'

I think I was giving a real scared look, since Isabelle gave me a lost look.

'He'll make you hang for this. He will make you suffer within an inch of your life. And then… he hasn't even started.'

I must admit that Isabelle's threat was kind of corny and it sort of pissed me off that I didn't know if she was referring to the king or Elmont. But the statement wasn't any less true. And it gave me hope.

'He's gonna kick your ass.' I huffed, feeling the rage boiling inside of me.

It was silent for a while before Owen let out an amused guffaw.

'You will clean up after yourself will you Jon?' Owen chuckled as he let go of my hand and stood up.

Anger coursed its way through my veins like lava as I saw Owen chuckle. The unfairness of it all, the hurt and suffering.

And without hesitating I had jumped to my feet, balled my hand into a fist and punched him right in the face.

Perhaps I had expected people to cheer, or at least I hoped Isabelle would.

But it was quiet.

Very very very quiet.

Owen scoffed before looking at me with raised eyebrows. And he grabbed my shoulder and slapped me so hard I stumbled back to where I was sitting on the ground.

The slap wasn't as painful as the punch I had received, but maybe that was because I felt victorious as hell.

Two hands wrapped around me in a hug and I knew it had been Isabelle.

'Prolong her suffering as much as you can Jon. Enjoy it.' Owen sneered as he ran his fingers over his cheek, as if he was expecting to find blood.

'No! Please! I will pay! I will pay!'

And even though I was touched by the gesture. I knew that no matter how hard Isabelle cried or pleaded, Owen would never spare me now.

'I will pay you twice as much! Why would you not take it?' Isabelle pleaded once more.

Owen shrugged unsympathetically. He made the rules and we had to play along.

'William, will you separate these two? I am tired and very hungry.'

Isabelle wasn't willing to let go, but in the end her grip on me slackened before falling away completely.

I was pulled to my feet and I struggled. I struggled with all my might before I was hoisted over Jon's shoulder, giving me one last look at Isabelle being brought back into the cave. She was sobbing, which made my eyes water.

I cursed silently before putting as much fight up as I could, trying desperately to escape from his clutches. And even though it was clear I was no match for Jon, I could not stop. I could admit it to myself, I was scared. Hopelessly and utterly scared. Terrified.

'Take me back!' I shouted firmly when trees started to close in around me.

Jon did not even stir when he carried me further down the hill.

When I was dropped against the ground, scattered in leaves I panicked. I scampered away but I was met with a hand grabbing my hair.

If I was not raped or murdered or both I should really cut it off.

I found myself backed up against a tree with a knife against my throat. The feel of dread hit me when I didn't have to guess what he was thinking.

'Pretty bird ye are.' He chuckled as he tightened his grip on my hair 'Ye don' need te worry, I only wanna go a round or two with ye.'.

'Anything you touch me with you're gonna lose.' I hissed, my heart beating painfully against my chest 'Right now you just lost your left hand. Anything else?'

'I don' believe ye puppet.' he said with a smile, not very impressed with my words.

'Well, if you are _that _persistent I can get it on black and white so that you can read that I will cut off every piece off of you.' I smiled lightly '_Can_ you read? You miserable piece of shit?'.

I don't know why I was giving cheek when it was the end of the line for me here, but I know I didn't care. Not until I got punched in the stomach.

No matter how much I tried I couldn't catch my breath from that blow. And when Jon took that opportunity to do whatever the hell he wanted, I gasped for air more desperately. More tears forming when I felt hands on place I did not want them.

_What did your mother tell you? What did mom tell me? Kick? Hit? Scream? Scream._

I let out a shriek loud enough for the entire world to hear when he dipped his head into my neck. Really, I had been kind of shocked. I never thought I had been capable of producing that much volume.

They probably heard that back at the caves.

Jon jolted in surprise and I used this particular moment when he was shocked to sock him in the nose. Thinking quickly I raised my knee and brought it upwards with a jolt, kneeing him in the crystals.

I saw him fall to his knees and I thought of nothing else than to take off into the night.

I dodged the dark trees around me when I heard a yell behind me. And I let out a startled sob as I kept running, forcing all my power into my feet.

_'Keep running, don't look back. Run. Run!' _I ordered myself.

Because of the rain the leaves beneath my feet were slippery and made me slip up a few times. The voices seemed to surround me from everywhere, and seemed to be closing in.

When I saw see the ground underneath me disappearing it had been too late. I stumbled over the ground and rolled onto the ground. I hit my face so hard that my nose began to sting once again and I gasped for air to stop myself from screaming.

As I lay there I couldn't hear anything but the wind. Every breath I took had hurt and I couldn't seem to think.

Not being able to order my feet to move anymore, I desperately crawled towards the nearest tree on hands and feet. When I pressed myself against the bark I tried to control my breathing. I was shaking and my eyes were searching the darkness. It must be getting dark soon.

I squeezed my eyes shut when I thought I heard another voice. What if they found me? What if they didn't?

When I heard a voice call into the night, I couldn't seem to breathe anymore.

'You sneaky minx. I'll cut ye into ribbons when I get ye. An' I will, make no mistake 'bout tha. I will get that knife o' mine and gut ye. Ya hear me?!'

My feet had hurt and I slowly pulled off my worn off shoes.

_'He can't see you. He's too far away. Go on. Run. Go.'_

I carefully stood up and looked around me. And when the next rush of wind came I found the opportunity to run. Surely he wasn't able to hear me over that sound. Nobody was.

Running steadfast and with only one goal (get the hell away from here) made me tired. And when I saw figures in the distance the tears welled up in my eyes. My heart beating so fast that I almost fell over again.

I silently cursed my sense of direction but I didn't dare to slow down.

It was so dark and my vision was so blurry that I told myself that maybe they hadn't seen me. Why else would they stand there so motionless?

When I made a sharp turn to the right I thought I had bumped into a tree.

But that tree seemed to have arms and they had wrapped around me. I let out a yelp as I tried to push away. Sobbing when I couldn't manage anymore.

_It's over._

_You see?_

_Over._

I thought before I had looked in Elmont's very startled and very blue eyes.


	24. You'd better go in disguise

**Hey there! This is chapter 24!**

**School is coming up and so is my internship! So this time I'll give you weekly updates (probably on Fridays or in the weekend).**

**I've moved the review-answering-time underneath the chapter! I'll still answer them all as long as I'm able! C:**

**A few more messages for this chapter:**

**Thug William and Elmont's BFF William have nothing in common, I thought it was quite fun to have two guys have the same name.**

**Elmont acts cool and collected. He is not. You will read more about this in the next chapter!**

* * *

As I said before, there have been times in my life when I thought I was special. Destined for something greater. But since I am just a girl inside who still dreams of a life inside a chocolate castle, I dismissed every idea as a fantasy.

I have no emotional scars.

No actual scars either.

So how was I supposed to survive here?

Why was I trying to get away from the people who tried to help me?

Why was my heart hammering in my chest? Why was I squeezing my eyes shut tight? Why was adrenaline pumping through my body as a reaction to the horror of it all? Why now when I was safely in Elmont's hands.

I was trying to wretch myself loose. I wanted to get away and run even further.

I knew it was Elmont. I did. But then why did his touch feel so uninvited?

Who was crying?

Was that me?

Why wasn't he letting go of me?

Elmont kept saying my name. At first it was in disbelief but now it had turned into something worrying and stern. He wasn't saying anything else and I was glad he didn't. Because right now I would've freaked out knowing what was happening was real.

Did he know that? Did he know me?

I think he might know me.

He had grabbed my face with both hands, my tears rolling over his thumbs in the process. I tensed out of unexpectedness.

Or so I believed.

'Addy.'

_Stop. _

_Stop touching me._

His gaze was filled with some sort of emotion, but it wasn't directed at me.

'Did they hurt you?'

I tried to choke back a sob but I failed.

'Did they…' Elmont trailed off, not certain if he should finish that sentence.

_Did they what? Rape me? Not yet._

'Did they hurt you?' he said again, this time it sounded more like a statement.

His hands on my face felt uncalled-for and I really wished they would leave my cheeks alone.

_Stop looking at me! Damn you!_

Elmont found an answer in my silence but kept looking at me.

My breathing was slowing down but I let out a hiccup every once in a while. His touch began to burn uncomfortably and I wanted it off. Get off. Why couldn't I say it?

'I am sorry.' Elmont whispered. It was so silent that I almost missed it.

'I-' he stopped himself before he finished the sentence. He let out an unsteady breath.

'I am so sorry.'

It was like a child apologizing to his mother. Hesitant and genuine at the same time.

And still it brought more tears to my eyes.

The first friendly face I saw and the only thing I could do was freak out. Elmont gave the slightest of a flinch when my shoulders began to shake, but remained where he was. I realized just how tired I was. How tired I had been for the last couple of days. The thought of how I'd exerted myself too hard for that long made me crumble faster. Wallowing in self-pity. But what made it worse is that I now couldn't find any rest in Elmont and yet I didn't want him to leave.

'Don't go.' I blubbered. I was pathetic. Crying and a bloody mess. Literally.

My eyes found his and I could see how tired he was. Hell, if it wasn't in his eyes I found the evidence on the worn clothes and hilt of his sword.

He was here and it had not been easy. To find his way through the dark to retrieve us mustn't have been a stress-free trip. The journey must've been overly time-consuming and most of all a difficult one.

And it was only now I realized how fortunate we both had been.

'I am not going anywhere.' Elmont said, looking a little relieved that I was still able to speak.

'Please don't go. Don't ever leave me alone.' I croaked.

'You aren't.'

'I-' I breathed, more tears falling in the process 'I feel so- Don't leave me.'

Elmont shook his head.

'I will not. I will never leave you waiting like that again.' He stated.

My shaking increased. I was so uncomfortable with him being close I didn't know what to do.

Elmont finally noted my distress and backed off, his hands leaving my face. But he still stood close to me and I took a step backwards.

I was torn between running away and staying put. I think Elmont had noticed but he remained where he was.

'I will not hurt you Addy.'

_'I know that' _I thought bitterly '_I just don't want you near me.'_

It was silent for a good while and I found myself pinching the sides of my torn dress between my fingers as always.

The sound of quickened footsteps filled my ears as I saw shadows hurrying through the forest and scattering between the trees. The loud echoes made me freeze on the spot, an old familiar sensation descending over me.

Whispers and the sound of leaves fluttering in the wind surrounded us.

Elmont's expression had softened when I looked back at him and he had stretched out his arm towards me, beckoning me to take his hand.

'Let's go home.' He softly instructed. I noticed his fingers gave a small twitch when he spoke.

It only took a few more moments before my feet began to do their work, taking small steps towards him. And when my fingers finally touched his I caught him smiling a little.

* * *

Well. He didn't take me home of course. I think it was something he said in the spur of the moment.

But Elmont did hold my hand the entire time. Even when the figures began to approach. Luckily they were part of the search-team, so that explained why Elmont was so calm and collected. But still I was on edge. I was lead to some sort of camp with a lot of men I didn't know.

I saw Jack though.

But still I didn't utter a single word.

I heard Elmont giving orders and asking others a few questions. When his grip on my hand loosened as he pointed into the darkness I held his hand more tightly.

'I found her near the rocks. We are heading north.'

'What? Right now?' one of the men asked, he was short and I couldn't see his face now that it was truly dark.

Did I ever tell you that? The nights here are truly dark when there is no moon or any stars.

'If we have the opportunity to save the princess tonight we will. Do you understand?'

'How do you want to manage that?'

'Are you doubting my judgement? If you are willing to explain to the king why you want to let his daughter alone with those bandits one more night, be my guest.'

'That's not what I meant.'

'Then be quiet.'

'Can't fight you on this can I?' The man said while shaking his head. 'Well where do you suggest we start looking?'

Elmont was silent before looking at me.

I was just wondering why that man was giving Elmont cheek, but I waved it off.

'Are you taking her with us?!' the man said with a sneer.

'Do not count on it William. You are going to stay with her.'

The man let out a deep sigh.

'I've made up my mind William.'

'Yes, yes I know.'

William? That name rings a bell. One of the thugs was named William, but he sounded way different than this one. This William's voice was lower and somewhat gruff, the thug's voice was more high-pitched even though he was very tall.

I heard William let out a scoff after a while, 'Not wanted in the fight? Suit yourself, I'll stay with the lady.'

My other hand wrapped around our interlocked hands as I looked up at Elmont. He couldn't leave me now. He couldn't! What the hell man! You just made me a promise 5 freakin' minutes ago!

Elmont's eyes found mine and he led me away a through the trees and big rocks. I choked on the very breath I was taking when I saw him walking towards a big cave. It could only be seen when I was up-close, but I could see a small fire near one of the big rocky walls inside.

I heard the sounds of the river in the darkness over the sound of the winds playing with the leaves. I hoped it might distract me from the fear of going into a cave, even though it was nothing like the one I had stayed in with Isabelle. This cave was very big and filled with food and water. I even saw some logs on the ground acting like they owned the place.

He sat me down on one of the logs that lay there on the leaves and rocks but I wouldn't let go of his hand. I heard him sigh when he kneeled before me. The light of the fire spread a warm light on his face and was casting strange shadows on the floor.

Elmont had reached his other hand towards me now. He could have been reaching for my still broken nose but instead he was reaching for the top of head. His hand enclosed over the top and slid back just above my neck. It was soothing. It might be something a mother or a father would have done.

'Addy.' He spoke softly 'I will have to ask you some questions and I want you to answer as thorough as you can. Do you understand?

I nodded my head slowly, chuckling to myself when I discovered a strict-tone in his voice.

A few moments passed before he spoke again, as if he was struggling with the words. When I thought he was finally going to ask the question, he brushed it off and it seemed he settled for another one.

'There must be thugs on the lookout. Do you remember how many?'

That had me thinking. There were three outside the cave before Owen came around. But maybe he called help from others?

'I-I think six. Most of them are on the look-out.' I breathed, trying to put my memories into words as best as I could 'There is one in a cave along with Isabelle, hiding behind some shrubs. One is injured, I think I damaged his knee.' I thought Elmont would chuckle at that, but he remained silent. 'And one is in the woods.' I continued.

_Looking for me._ I added silently.

Elmont nodded while his hand slipped from my head and patted my hand.

'One… One is the leader I think. H-he uh… his name is Owen.' I stuttered, not wanting to continue.

I don't think Elmont had ever heard of him because he simply nodded again. Meanwhile another man walked up behind Elmont, dressed in armor.

'The men are prepared to go captain. You better get a move on.'

Elmont made a noise of acknowledgment before asking me one more question 'Do you remember how far up north you were held hostage?'

I had to think about that one because I wasn't sure how far and how long I had been running. The man behind Elmont inspected the floor with a bored look as I made a rough estimate of how far away the camp was.

When I finally told him, Elmont gave me a look before he moved to pull his hand away from mine. He did it so fast that I didn't have a chance to pull it back to mine.

'Wait!' I said as I stood up quickly, but Elmont brought his finger to his lips to silence me. I was way too loud so I took a step forward to whisper the next piece of information into his ear.

I wasn't sure if I should tell him, but I just wanted to give him more reason to get Isabelle as fast as he could.

'Isabelle… she's sick and uh…' I mumbled, not sure how to continue 'She's knocked up.'

Elmont raised a brow at this and I let out an embarrassed sigh.

'She told me she's with child.'

'Ah. Yes, I have been told.' Elmont groaned, not pleased with that reminder 'Jack has informed me, it is best if you keep this discreet. Leave it to me. I will get her back immediately.'

He was silent before looking me over again, frowning at all the mud, blood and bruises.

'Are you leaving?'

'Under his watch at least you are safe.'

_'Alright.'_

He opened his mouth to say something, but I beat him to it. 'Be safe.' I squeaked.

'I will be back milady,' he said, the nickname not making me smile this time 'I promise.'

'Then hurry up.' I mumbled with a frown.

'As the lady commands.' Elmont said with a chuckle.

He did something very forward then, something I wouldn't think he'd ever do.

Especially to me.

He took one of my hands and pressed it against his lips briefly. His facial hair tickled the skin on my hand even though it only lasted a second.

And by now I had practically swallowed my own tongue. When he let go of my hand I successfully had turned into massive stone. Before I knew what was where he gave a short bow, turned around, gave William a nod and stalked out of the cave.

William regarded us with a bored stare as I felt the uncomfortableness hit me like a dodge ball to the face.

I just stood there like a statue before everything dawned on me and I covered my face with my hands.

I cussed silently as I felt an old familiar heat rush through my cheeks.

…

…

…

This could not be happening.

…

…

…

_'Told you so.'_

* * *

It took me a while to remember that this was the William Elmont had talked about a while ago, before all this had happened. The one who wouldn't like me. He was only a little shorter than me with features that reminded me of a fox. He was playing with a knife that he kept throwing into a log to the opposite of me. He hit the mark every single time.

I don't think he meant to scare me, but I wasn't saying anything which naturally bored him.

'We heard a scream uphill north from here before I found you. Was that you?'

I stayed silent, huddling closer to the fire.

William kept looking at me with a frown 'Your face is bust.'

'I know that.' I muttered, not feeling comfortable with him.

'Look I'm trying to be nice,' he sighed, stocking his knife 'Let me take a look at that.'

Immediately I backed away in alarm.

William shrugged as he leaned back and rummaged through some supplies.

My eyes never left his figure as I held out my hands towards the warmth of the fire. I felt chilled all the way to my bones and I couldn't seem to figure out how to get warmth back into them. By now William had thrown a package my way before swallowing a piece of chicken.

The package wrapped in cloth was too far away and I cautiously crawled towards it and snatched it away. With trembling fingers I opened it to find a considerable amount of cooked chicken in it. I looked at William with a questioning gaze but he regarded me with boredom as usual.

'You must be hungry, miss. Eat.'

No need to tell me twice, I dug in before he finished his sentence. And while I was eating the loveliest piece of chicken I had ever eaten, I couldn't help but smile at the memory of me claiming to be a vegetarian at 12 years old. Only to quit that very same night.

I also couldn't help but thinking about that stupid kiss on my hand.

I had been kissed before, multiple times actually, but never on my hand. The place on my hand still burned and I felt dazed. Because it was likely I had been more effected by the idea of what Jon might have done to me than I originally thought. I was never more aware who was a man and who was a woman than on this very day. I felt uncomfortable with everything Elmont did or said, even if it meant nothing. And that's what it was: nothing.

But damn.

'Hey,'

I made the mistake of turning towards William, 5 seconds later I would curse myself for letting my guard down.

He sat very close to me and with the speed of light he had grabbed my face with one hand. But before I could scream bloody murder he grabbed my nose with his other hand and gave it a wrench.

Pain.

That's the only way to describe it.

The tears were still rolling of my cheeks when he was sitting back at his spot.

I knew he did it to help me, but he could have warned me…

Or be more gentle!

Butt-faced baboon.

'Will you stop looking at me with such resentment, I helped you! You look a lot better now.' He said while picking at his fingernails with his knife 'Perhaps you could show a little more gratitude.'

_Gratitude?_ I will turn him into a heap of ash if he so much as looked as if he was about to get up.

'So,' he said after taking a big gulp of water 'you do know the man who dishonoured you awaits an ill-fate.'

I was silent for a while, holding the wet and cold cloth that William had given me a few minutes ago to my nose.

'I wasn't… raped.'

William hummed in acknowledgement before slipping a piece of bread into his mouth 'If you think that'll save them, you are stupid.'

_Hmph. And I think you're just a knob who can't shut his pie hole. _

'The thing is, you are stupid enough to forget that you are under protection of the crown.' he continued 'And you have friends in high places, which means their personal wrath on those pathetic excuses for thieves will be unleashed.'

He looked at me briefly, waiting for a reply. When it never came he gave a shrug and continued, 'Don't tell me you know nothing about this.'

'I do. The princess told me. She threatened to nail their heads to the wall in her room.' I replied tartly.

'Hah! She did, did she?'

Having enough of this conversation I stood up and walked towards the outside of the cave. I was however stopped by a frowning William.

'I have to frickin' pee.' I hissed, wanting to get away from him and the cave. William didn't get the clue though and stood up to follow me.

'If I catch you creeping after me I'll…' I started, not being able to think of any horrible sanction 'I'll grab a squirrel a stick and a rock. And sooner or later, you've got to sleep.'

I didn't get the satisfaction of hearing an answer and I stomped off in the direction of the exit.

When I was almost outside and I could hear the sound of leaves and water, William spoke up.

'He'll have them killed,' I heard him say, his voice quiet but full of assurance 'If they have touched you the way thugs often do, he would kill them.'

I stayed quiet before ordering my feet to move again.

I believed him.

* * *

**Anna:** Hahaha! I'm not telling! Maaaaaaaaybe! Thanks for reading! It's much appreciated!

**Guest:** It is ominous! Hahaha! But I believe the conditions she and Addy have been living in for the past few days weren't very good for the phoetus. But who knows what might happen! Thank you for reading!

**Kitkatkatniss:** Punch Owen! C-:

**IrisGirls1402:** Wow! Thank you very much for your kind words! I'm so glad you feel like you can connect with her, I really wanted people to have that! But between us, I've written _so_ many Mary Sues before I started on Addy haha! Some of them could fly, were orphans, had a secret double life at 15 and were good at pretty much everything. They're still on the internet somewhere and I cringe every time I read them. Just horrible! Hahaha! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**Kailee:** Thank you so much! Not to fear! Mr. update is here!

**Evil behind the writer:** Hahaha! This is not madness, this is Albion! I'm so glad you're enjoying this so much! It makes me so happy and you guys inspire me to keep on writing! You have so many ideas and you really know Addy better than I do.

I almost made the mistake of Addy brushing everything off. I actually made this chapter a bit more angst-y (I think that's an awesome word) after I read your review. So I thank you for that C-:

And I already know who's going to make the first move, but I think you guys know already ;-)

You are very welcome milady!

**Daughterofthering:** I will continue this until the end! I promise you that! C: I'm so glad you like Addy! Thank you for reading!

**Stargazer197:** I know right! That lazy bum!

**PaddySnuffles**: Haha! I know! Addy is very weird! And yes, Jack is going to have to face a shitstorm. And I know that Elmont seems pretty collected in this chapter, but you'll have to wait for the next one to find out how he really feels about all this! Thanks for reading!

**Jedi Kay-Kenobi**: Yes! Elmont will kick ass most righteously! Thank you for still reading this! I hope you had fun in Tunisia! C:

**BlackCatDemon133:** Our hero in shining armour!

**Teddy bear 007:** Yay! All he needs now is a cape attached to his shiny armour! Thank you for reading!

**SerendipityAEY:** Luckily Addy is saved! I think I should be a little nicer to her actually, I'm putting her through so much crap! Haha!

**Sabi2**: I will! It will be a weekly update though, my school and internship has started :C

**MidnightShadow07:** You knew! Awesome! I'm sorry I end on the good parts (not really), it keeps me on edge :). I was actually thinking of it, but I thought of a better idea. I'll keep updating! Thank you!

**Cantate:** Hahaha! Oh my gosh, Isabelle has no timing indeed! I'm glad you liked it! You are very welcome! I want to thank you as well, you're such a kind person C:

**MoonCastersFlyingCircus:** Iknowright! It was so hard to write that chapter! I'm glad you're still enjoying the story! C: Thank you so much!


	25. Forecast:Exactly what it says on the tin

**ADSFGL- This was weird to write. I hope you enjoy!**

**Addy calmed down a little but she's trying to smother her old feelings, how will that play out...**

**See you next weekend!**

* * *

**New update: I changed the words a little! I am not a native speaker so I appreciate you guys pointing out mistakes! Thank you Rushes!**

* * *

Of course I didn't really need to pee, so I just sat there near the cave. The dark trees looming over my head as if to shelter me. The harsh wind that blew in my face was not that cold, but I noticed that the autumn-chill was starting to cling to it.

I expected to hear screaming or the clashing of swords. But none of those sounds met my ears. To be honest I was getting cold but I couldn't get myself to move. I just wanted to sit there. Cold and numb. Until everything was over.

The memories of past events was like a beast inside me, clawing away in my gut. It hung on me like a cloud. And no matter where I was, cave or no cave, it followed me everywhere. I could warp myself to another galaxy and I would still taste it in my mouth and see it with my eyes. Even if I tried, even if I went back to my world this would still stay with me. Like an ugly stain.

It didn't take long for William to get worried and walk outside only to stop when he spotted me. His left hand rested on the hilt of his sword as he leaned back against the rocky wall. I never really realized that he was left-handed, I was actually startled that I noticed.

The sound of leaves fluttering stilled and for a moment only the noise of streaming water remained. William lifted his head for a second. It reminded me of a watchdog hearing a sound.

I held my breath, trying to hear what he seemed to hear. But I couldn't so I turned my gaze towards him.

His gaze however was focused on the trees a little to the right of me. He was slowly pulling his sword out of its sheath. My head snapped towards my right, this time I heard a twig snap.

William nodded towards the cave and I didn't even think twice about sprinting inside as fast as I could. How quickly I moved to obey today!

At the same time I moved however I heard a growl and William sigh and mutter a curse. And although I was pressed against the wall I couldn't help but take a peek.

William swung around his sword in the air calmly but his eyes never left the beast in front of him.

'Just one of you? You half-starved creature. '

A wolf? What the hell! Did these exist in this place?

I couldn't disagree with William though, the wolf was starved and probably sick. Yet I still saw it as a threat. William did not.

When the wolf tried to circle William, William pointed his sword in the wolf's direction. Giving a loud growl the wolf leapt toward William and my eyes widened slightly.

One chance was all William was going to have when the wolf leapt towards him, the only barrier between the cave I was hiding in.

Just when I was about to back up into the cave to find some kind of weapon, William succeeded into knocking it to the ground. He adjusted his footing and brought his sword down before the wolf scrambled up.

I guess I forgot what Elmont had told me about his skills with a blade, for the wolf never came up again.

William let out a sigh after a moment of silence before tugging his sword out of the wolf's skull. I twitched at the dull sound, clenching my fists.

He wiped his sword and turned towards me, giving me a short nod. But something in his eyes challenged me to show remorse for the creature lying on the floor.

'Don't they travel in packs?' I questioned, not knowing the slightest thing about wolves.

'No,' he muttered as he placed his hands on his sides and looked down at the wolf. 'Not this one.'

'Was it sick?' I questioned, still not daring to step out of the cave.

'_She_ was indeed. And when you can't keep up with the rest, you go rogue. '

My eyes turned towards the skinny outline of the wolf, its eyes dark into a white furry head. I adverted my eyes as I turned towards the smouldering residues of the fire inside the cave. I knew we were both thinking about what would have happened if I had been alone in the forest if the wolf was still alive. Suppressing a shudder, I poked the fire with a stick.

It took a while before William came in, carcass slung over his shoulder. He probably got rid of the insides. No good in attracting other animals that may or may not want to munch on our skulls tonight.

'It can be dangerous in these high lands girl. At any time.' William said while he took a seat next to me 'So I suggest you stay in here.'.

I scooted away from him but gave him a nod nonetheless.

'Oh God, what are you doing' I groaned as I saw William separate flesh from skin.

William frowned, his sharp eyes were on my face 'That skin will get me some money, if you think being a soldier pays well you're wrong girl.'

'But it's… you know. Weird.'

'Hn,' he muttered as he flipped the carcass 'Do you always talk so vaguely?'

'I don't know,' I admitted 'will you just stop?'

'It will rot, then I would've killed that thing for nothing.'

'Well , do you have to do it in here?' I practically begged.

In response he smirked as he gave a harsh tug on the skin and I heard the ripping of flesh.

'Oh God, you have one hell of a behaviour problem.'

* * *

When they returned I was almost asleep and it was still dark. I must've drifted off while William started to scrape the skin off of our wolf-friend.

William had seemed to notice the ruckus outside too and looked up from his handiwork. 'Back already?' he asked the first random guy that appeared. He nodded while reaching for his flagon, 'Not much to do really. Didn't do much fighting'.

'Lazy bastard. Then give me a hand with this.'

'What? Why?'

'Because I told you so.'

I searched the dark for faces I could recognize. I spotted multiple figures in the dark and finally I could make out Jack. When he came closer to the cave I noticed a scrape on his cheek and that he was cradling Isabelle.

His eyes flickered to mine when he entered before lying Isabelle down gently. Isabelle was half awake but jumped up when she saw me. Her lips tightened as tears started to well up.

Oh God. That made me cry as well.

I scrambled towards her and she reached for me at the same time, whispering apologies all the while. She felt so thin and fragile as I wrapped my arms around her. I was so afraid she would fall to pieces in my arms.

Jack was the one who separated us gently, ushering Isabelle to drink something.

I sat back and remained by her side for a while, still not believing our luck.

I repressed a small smile at seeing Jack so caring and clumsy towards his knocked up girlfriend.

Knocked up.

Right.

'We need to get back.' I said while I looked at her stomach worriedly 'Something might be wrong.'

Jack had opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted.

'We shall. When the sun rises we will ride for Cloister.'

My ears recognized Elmont's voice, but when I turned my head my eyes didn't.

His sword was still in his hand, blood dripping off of it. His shoulders were tense and his face was just… I don't know man. Something between Leonidas after battle and Bruce Willis. He was sweating like a pig, panting and it disturbed me even more that I couldn't find any wounds even though there was blood on him.

I must've paled because he asked William to throw him a piece of cloth. He turned away from me to clean his face and his sword.

I looked at Jack, hoping that he would explain something but he just raised his eyebrows and looked down at Isabelle as soon as he could.

This was one hell of an uncomfortable silence.

* * *

Soon enough Isabelle lay asleep in Jack's arms, her hands clutching his shirt.

By now I had moved towards the entrance of the cave, breathing in the fresh air outside. Most of the men were lying outside or simple talking among themselves.

I silently looked at them, enjoying the fact they were just making conversations as if nothing happened.

I noticed they had taken prisoners but I couldn't make out who they were. There were three of them though. Each one of them tied up to a different tree, occasionally letting out a groan.

My half-lidded eyes darted from a soldier eating a piece of salted pork to the fire they had set up outside. I smelt the burned wood and the rain-drenched earth.

When Elmont came over to me to sit, it took me a while before I allowed my vision to trail to his face. He was clean now, but I was sure he missed a spot behind his ear. It startled me he took the trouble to sit next to me though, completely awkward to say the least.

Elmont remained still and quiet while he inspected his sword. I stared a bit longer at the men outside who were starting to snore apart from three of them. William picked at his nails with a bored look on his face as a neat pile of wolf-skin lie next to him. When I lost interest in the boys I looked up at Elmont again, catching him throwing me a quick glance.

He could be looking at my injuries but instead of asking him I found myself being preoccupied with picking at my dress again.

Why was this awkward?

My brain couldn't manage to put the words into my mouth I so desperately wanted to say. A simple 'thank you' couldn't be that hard could it?

Finally I looked up at him again. Regretting it the moment I realized he was still looking. The edge of his mouth twisted upwards as he reached for my arm carefully, as if asking me for permission. I looked down and saw the nicks and bruises on my arms. Something I picked during my fall in the forest perhaps. He looked so calm when he took my arm into his hands and inspected the scrapes and cuts.

His lips pressed together as he reached behind him to grab a big clean piece of bandage from the same bag William had grabbed a bandage earlier.

He cleaned my wounds very carefully and it vaguely reminded me of how my nan used to nurse me. Elmont was the kind of guy who was able to take care of others and of himself as well. And suddenly I felt so fortunate that I had Elmont. He was an admirable person with so many admirable qualities. I couldn't understand why someone like him would ever think about hanging around a person such as me.

It was a tender moment. And of course I ruined it with saying something weird.

'I would kill for a shower and a cup of hot chocolate.'

Elmont kept his eyes on my arm but raised his eyebrows and chuckled. 'A shower of what?'

'A hot shower. It's like rain. Only… hot?'

Elmont glanced up at me 'Sound terrible.'

'Don't be weird, it's like a hot bath. Only… different. It'll wash the day off of you, you know?'

No, Elmont did not know.

He frowned as he wrapped the material around my arms, 'A splash of hot water does not sound that appealing to me.'

'A shower will get you clean. And a lot of people could use that in this place, that's for damn sure. All this man-slaughter will make you more funky.'

'Funky?'

I chuckled.

You have no idea how funny that sounded when he said it.

'Dude. Don't fight me on this, you'd love it. If I could take you home with me I'll just push you underneath one and make you enjoy it. And then I'll accept your apology.'

I squirmed when I thought of what I had just said. Did I just suggest I'd shove a naked man underneath a hot shower and make him like it?

Oh my...

… I need brain-bleach.

If I hadn't gone mental yet by the time I got to Cloister, I needed to reminded herself that me and my brain would have to have a good, long talk about what kind of scenarios were allowed to turn me on and which weren't.

'Oh God. I just… Sorry, I don't know why I started to talk about that.' I groaned, flinching when he accidentally pressed his fingers on one of the cuts on my arm.

'It's quite alright. If it is any consolation I believe you are much better company than most people I met.' Elmont chuckled as he finished the knot in the bandage.

'Thanks.' I muttered.

I quietly inspected my arm, noticing it was a little sloppy. I didn't really mind though, as long as it didn't fester or anything.

'Where are your shoes?' Elmont asked with a questioning gaze.

I looked down at my bare feet.

'I don't know.' I sighed, smiling for the first time in a while.

And before I regretted it I took the opportunity to rest my head against his shoulder hesitantly.

I felt Elmont tense a little but he didn't move. I was actually kind of glad, I wasn't sure what I would've done if he moved away or moved closer. I don't even know which one I was more afraid of.

He remained still, looking very awkward.

'Elmont? Do you mind if I ask you something?' I asked with a small yawn, not bothering to cover my mouth.

Elmont made noise and I took it as a 'Yes of course Addy.'

'Do you have fairy-tales in this place?'

'Fairy-tales?'

'Like stories you tell children before they go to sleep.'

Apparently this was funny because he let out a short laugh. But when I asked him what was so funny he didn't answer.

'I believe this world is,' I said, my eyes drooping a little. 'at least in my world.'

Elmont stirred a little and I felt his head turn towards me. 'Does it have a happy ending?'

I let out another yawn. 'I can't really remember.'

I really couldn't. Would Jack be happy with a goose and a harp? Would he be happy with a princess and a baby? I hoped so, he deserved it.

When Elmont remained quiet I felt the need to explain but I didn't really want to. And it seemed Elmont didn't want to push the matter either.

Without so much as glancing at him before I fell asleep, I closed my eyes but didn't scoot any closer.

'Comfortable?' I heard him ask, but I only smiled sleepily.

'You should go to sleep.'

'Hng. I think if I was… very small… I would like to sleep… in a mug.'

It was silent and I could imagine him raising an eyebrow.

'Sleeping in a mug would be nice…' I continued, absolutely certain that it would be the most comfortable thing in the world.

'Shush.'

'Don't shush me…' I drawled while I frowned. I could feel myself slip away into some sort of dream filled with kittens.

'You know,' I mumbled as sleep overtook me. 'You're not quite like the fairy-tales.'

* * *

**Guest**: Hmm.. Maybe miss Guest? Then I'll know it's you! Haha! I'm glad I cheered you up, I read about Taiji Cove, I can't imagine. No worries though, Jon will get what he deserves muhahaha!

**Kitkatkatniss:** Holy cow. That is as bad-ass as it can get. Mind blown!

**Addie:** That's because I'm outside your house observing you… just kidding! Or am I? Glad you like the story! Thank you so much!

**Kailee:** Yes there is still a lot of angst, but this chapter will be a little lighter. Thank you for taking the time to review the story!

**Cantate:** Thank you! Don't worry, it'll work out alright! I made this chapter a bit more fun! C:

**MoonCastersFlyingCircus:** I'm glad you like! Thank you so much C:

**Lady of Lochaber/ Lady-of-Reecia**: Thank you so much for you kinds messages, you are a sweetheart! I'm glad for all your help! It's much appreciated! C:

**Jedi Kay-Kenobi**: Me neither! Hahaha! It's just so… HNG… Ass-kicking Elmont to the rescue!

**Teddy bear 007:** Awesome! You put it on him and I'll sing: nananananana ELMOOOONT ELMOOOONT! xD

**xMySimpleWorld:** Thank you for your kind words! Kisses on the hands are so… *melts into a puddle*

**SerendipityAEY:** Haha! Okay here you go! Some awkward conforsation and comfort from Elmont! Haha!

I agree though! Ican't read rape scenes either, so you don't have to worry about those. I guess I did want to scar Addy a little bit haha!

They will realize in time what they mean to each other. And Addy does have to grow up a little more. About the kiss… Soon. I promise you. And you guys are going to kill me for it. :D

**MidnightShadow:** I believe I will switch POV's soon enough, maybe for a short chapter of something. It would be interesting to know his side of the story hahaha! I reunited Isabelle and Jack! All is good! :D

**Evil behind the writer:** Hahaha! Weeeell he kind of did, can you imagine the badass music in the background? Whaha! Thank you for reading!

**PaddySnuffles:** Glad you liked that one! I had the feeling I had to lighten up the mood a little. You poor thing! A soccer ball is way more painful! I'm also glad you approved of Elmont's reaction, I was so worried! Thank you so much my dear!


	26. Bellham news

**Oh wow, sorry guys. This chapter took longer than a week. I just couldn't find the time, I had been sick these past few days.**

**Please don't be shy when you see spelling errors which bother you! I'm not a native speaker but I'll try my best!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

'GOOOOOOOOOOD morning it is 8:00 in the morning on this beautiful august day! The weather is cool with scattered clouds. We will start the day with the new single from-'

'Addy…'

I groaned as I pulled the covers over my head.

'Wake up.'

I felt fingers grazing my left cheek as a gentle voice called my name once again. I saw her. I saw my mum.

Deep down I knew… that she wasn't real. She wasn't even alive in this place.

But she still smiled at me, she looked happy. 'Are you okay?'

White sunlight surrounded her, she looked like she was shining. It felt so real. Far more real than those who hurt me, threatened me, talked to me and saved me in reality.

'I'm gone.' I told her as I picked at the sheets, my eyes not leaving her. 'I'm dreaming.'

Suddenly I realized that I actually never wanted to leave this place. Never to leave my mom. Just stay here. Reality scared me. It was awfully uninviting and it made my stomach turn. I didn't want to leave my mother's smiling face. Her soft features and her light eyes.

Tears found their way down my cheeks. Some kind of feeling had found me in the darkness. A feeling I had repressed when I disappeared. Some kind of realization of what had happened to me.

I panicked as my mother reached out her hand and stroked my hair. And when I clenched my eyes, I was awake.

* * *

It shocked me when I noticed that it was barely morning. I could see the sky between the pink clouds. I sat up and looked around me. Elmont was gone, so was William and when I looked outside the cave some of the other men were gone too. A few of them stood by the fire, holding a bowl or packing. I could see the outline of Jack and Isabelle, both still snoring lightly.

My neck felt stiff when I moved. Only then I realized I had been covered in a blanket. I carefully moved the fabric in between my fingers as if to see if it was real. I folded it and stood up.

One of the men with curly hair and a scruffy beard saw me standing near the entrance of the cave and grabbed a bowl. He took a few big steps towards me and handed me a broth. He smiled when I thanked him but didn't say anything in return.

The broth smelled funny but the warmth it provided me was more than enough. I just sat there in peace watching the sun go up. It would take me a while before I told Elmont about my dream, I think I wanted to preserve it because it felt so personal. The dream comes back every now and then, but it's never unpleasant or scary.

Like a memory perhaps.

I took another sip of the broth as I wriggled my toes. They were cold. Like the feet of an old man.

I heard footsteps outside which made me look up at the prisoners. They were asleep but I could make out the face of one of them. Jon's face. The others were too far away.

As I tried to scoop up a piece of vegetable I almost dropped my bowl. I covered my eyes with one hand as I tried not to say something inappropriate.

'Morning.'

A sigh.

'Put on some pants William. Nobody needs to see that.'

'Left it over here! You could use a swim boys, you lot are smelling worse than those gutted decomposing corpses up north.'

William stood still as he rummaged through something that sounded like cloth.

Boy. I sure wasn't in the mood for naked hairy butts and penises today.

No siree!

'You buried them then?'

'Wha-? Course not. If you feel the need to bury them do so yourself.'

'Good God man! There's a lady present!'

'Aye! Have some respect!'

'So? Just talking about corpses. Lasses see more blood than us.'

'You're naked as a wee baby.'

It was quiet and I smiled a little but kept my eyes covered.

'… She didn't see anything.'

'Feeling self-conscious William?'

'Bugger off.'

It was silent for a good long while before I heard snickering.

''S alright lass, Will's covered.'

I uncovered my eyes and finished my meal. Not being able to restrain a small laugh.

'You should apologize William.'

'Hn.'

'What if it had been the princess?' one soldier commented as he chewed on a piece of bread.

'Apologies Abby.' William announced, not sounding sincere in the slightest.

'Addy,' I corrected him while I scooped up the last of the broth. I was sure William needed the time to figure out more things to dislike about me. From the first moment he met me I was pretty sure that the only way for him to talk to me was when he was ordered to pay attention to me. Because here he was, forgetting my name. Actually I would've been more freaked out if he remembered. I wasn't sure if I would've enjoyed that.

'So you just went for a bath?' one of the knights asked William as he took a sip from his broth.

'Nah. Went along with a couple of others. See if there still were some others hangin' about.'

'Were there?'

'No.' William sighed as if he was disappointed 'No fun if you ain't in the fight. I couldn't even torture the leftovers.' he said as he nodded towards the three captives.

'Captain told you off did he?'

'Not quite.' William scoffed as he took a deep breath. He probably enjoyed nature more than stone walls.

I hadn't even noticed Isabelle's presence until she announced it. I turned my head too fast and my muscles protested. Her dress was dirty but she wore some kind of cloak around her, her hair was stringy and all in all she just looked disheveled.

I never got the chance to open my mouth because she hugged me as fast as she could, although her grip was quite weak.

'How are you?' she breathed as she pulled away 'I am so sorry. Did they… Did he..'

'No. He didn't. Elmont found me.' I said, not wanting to answer the how-are-you question just yet. I didn't really know how I felt to be honest.

'How about your nose? Was it broken?' she questioned.

I stared at her face a little longer, studying her features. She looked older. All girly things about her had washed away from her face.

'It's alright. How are you?' I asked, suddenly remembering why she looked so tired.

When I raised my hand to feel her temperature she waved it off 'Dizzy. Dizzy and hungry.'

'But you should get examined!' I proclaimed while I took her hands

'Stop harassing royalty Abby.' William cut in as he grabbed a bag from the cave and grinned

'Addy.' I corrected again as he walked off.

I frowned before I continued 'You could be seriously ill. What about your eh… baby?'

Isabelle smiled a little sadly before answering 'We should leaving soon. But it is such a long way.'. She sighed 'We will not arrive at Cloister till tomorrow at the earliest.'

Hm. Perhaps I had forgotten how long we had travelled until we arrived at the place we were kept hostage.

'So… what about your dad?' I questioned 'How will he… you know. I mean it's normal where I'm from, but over here I can imagine wedlock is considered… you know.'

She sighed and brushed a stray hair away from her face 'I was wedding dress-fitting. ' she admitted 'When we got captured I was… trying on a wedding dress. Perhaps I thought that if I made it look like something logical… No matter.'

I wasn't sure how to answer.

Isabelle looked at me, waiting for me to say something. She laughed softly when I didn't.

'You look surprised.' she said 'Jack was too. I know Elmont isn't pleased with him. But it wasn't his fault. It just…'

'Takes two to tango?' I offered. Isabelle seemed to understand though.

'Please do not be angry with Jack.'

I raised my hands 'No no, not my place.' I chuckled.

Isabelle got more comfortable next to me, when I offered to get her some broth she accepted. Luckily there was some left although I almost dropped it when I recognized another prisoner. The enormous guy who punched me in the face a few days ago.

I quickly made my way back to the cave, trying to forget I saw him.

'So… if I may be so bold.' Isabelle started after she thanked me when I handed her a cup of a broth 'Did you… Have you?'

I raised an eyebrow as I wrapped my hands around my toes. 'Have I what?'

Isabelle turned an interesting shade of red before I understood.

'Well what do you think?' I asked, frowning when I noticed my feet weren't getting any warmer.

Isabelle didn't answer as Jack seemed to have woken up. He walked up to her and asked way to many questions. But Isabelle was sweet and answered each one of them instead of waving it off. She smiled as well. She always seemed to smile around Jack. A glowing and smiling mess.

Before Jack had the chance to ask me something Elmont's voice spoke up.

'We are leaving princess, you best stay with Jack. Cloister might be too far south, we plan on stopping in Bellham to get you proper care.'

Isabelle simply nodded and I shrugged. As long as I was away from here I didn't mind.

Elmont moved to step outside but paused, looking at my bare feet with a frown 'You still aren't wearing any shoes.' he said while his eyes flashed up to mine.

His lips twitched upwards when I tried to hide them.

'I lost them.' I muttered.

'I noticed.'

All the while Jack regarded us happily, his smile widening when I frowned at him.

'Thomas!' Elmont's voice called to a young man outside. He looked young, around 17 perhaps? 'Ask around if anyone has a spare pair of boots for the lady in their knapsack will you?'

I would have been touched if I hadn't been so embarrassed with Jack grinning like a high schooler. Well… I guess if he married Isabelle he would be something like royalty then right? Great. Then I would be the only sniveling peasant in a Disney castle!

Soon enough a pair of big boots were dropped in front of me, 'There you go lass, might be a big too big.' a big burly man commented as he wiped his brow. I was certain I could see some breadcrumbs in his moustache… I don't know but I just notice those things.

'You will need something other than what you are wearing,' Elmont pondered while he stared at my clothes 'I might have a spare cloak you could borrow.'

Before I could answer or thank him he turned around, pat my head and walked out.

* * *

We left nothing behind. Of course I sat in front of the only guy who I would ever consider on sharing a horse with. Actually, ever since last night I made myself a new rule: Don't leave him again. Stay as close to him as you can get and don't leave him again.

The prisoners had to walk but I didn't look at them. I was afraid I would do something stupid like cry or yell.

When we left the forest hills started to roll out, it reminded me of home. When the sun burst through the clouds every now and then it was so beautiful. The smell of the cloak around me and grass was comforting. The only bad thing I could think of was the horse.

But even though I had to travel on that thing, I was in a good mood. The weather did enough.

We rode fast and steady, not wasting time with resting or eating. The knights simply did that while riding. But of course I had to pee and that was something you couldn't do while riding a horse.

It was past noon when I saw the outline of a village, it was far away but I could see it wasn't a big village.

'Just another 3 hours at the most.' Elmont informed me as he tightened his grip on the reigns.

I was beginning to feel uncomfortable. Sitting on a horse for a couple of hours isn't the nicest of feelings.

'Are you familiar with months?' I questioned.

Random word vomit, we meet again.

'Yes, ' Elmont informed me, less serious than he had been before 'It is the 4th of august I believe.'

'Oh. My birthday is coming up soon.' I said with a smile 'When is your birthday?'

Elmont was silent for a good minute before he answered. '31st of march.'

'That's a good while away. I can think of what to give you.'

'Give me?'

I frowned at him in confusion 'Yes. Well… don't you people give each other presents when it's their birthday?'

Elmont frowned in response 'We do not.'

'What?' I exclaimed, trying to turn around 'But you said the King had really awesome birthday parties and everything!'

'That's royalty, a whole different story. The village celebrates it too.'

By now Elmont's horse started to object and Elmont nudged me back to my original not-very-comfortable position. I actually felt bad for Elmont and all those other guys. Nobody remembering the day you were born was just… not something I was used to.

'I will celebrate yours. I will get you something.' I stated with a nod, mentally making a note to ask Howard about his birthday as well.

I felt Elmont's chest rumble behind me as he started to laugh. When I looked up his mouth had twitched into a boyish grin which strangely enough resembled my brother's.

* * *

We had entered the village when it started to get dark. I actually had to keep myself from crying out in rejoice. A village meant a bathroom. And that was something I really needed. Small wooden houses with only a few windows greeted us. It was a cheerful place though, I heard singing and people chatting away inside the houses. Elmont helped me off of his horse in the stables by the nearest inn and of course I made quite a spectacle of myself. How on earth people got off of these cursed things with beauty and grace was beyond me.

'As I thought.' I heard William say as I finally had my feet firmly on the ground 'The girl fits this place. Drunkards and crazed folks who barely touch a horse.'

Normally I would point my 'oh-no-you-didn't' finger towards him, ready to aim and fire sass his way. But this time all I didn't think it would matter. So all I managed to get out was a tired sigh and a roll of my eyes.

My ass burned.

That could not sound more kinky, but that's not what I meant.

My ass burned, in a bad way.

'Captain? Where are we going to keep this lot?' one of the men said as he nodded towards the back. I guess he was referring to their prisoners.

Elmont seemed in thought but I didn't make the mistake of thinking he had forgotten about them for one second. Why would he?

'They will be coming with you. William and Richard will join you. The head of the village is informed of our stay. Ask him for the deepest and coldest dungeon in this place and tie them with every chain you can find. Stay with them for the night.' Elmont ordered just as I began to wonder where Isabelle was.

When I turned around to look behind me I looked straight into the face of a happy chap. When I let out a yelp I had eyes on me wich made me even more embarrassed.

'Good evening missus.' the guy greeted as he put aside the pitchfork 'You remind me o' me mum.'

'Uh… Well… thank you?'

'Ain't a problem there!' he laughed as he scratched at his scrawny chest 'What you folks up to?'

'Who are you?' asked one of the knights quit harshly. The man staggered back before laughing good-heartedly.

'I do the stables sir! Not much room in here though. Ye might 'ave to ask around.'

When the stable boy announced himself the others lost interest. I felt quite sorry for him.

'Sooo… stables!' I drawled, not sure how to start a conversation.

'Yes ma'm. My folks own this inn! I could ask for a room for you lot!' he announced with a happy smile.

'Well that's nice of you!' I smiled 'Do you have enough though? You said the stables were getting crowded.'

The boy leaned against the wooden wall, stumbling a little when he found out it wasn't that comfortable.

'People been fleein'. Rumours been goin' around!'

'What rumours?' I asked.

The boy paused, looked at the men behind me and then shrugged. 'Somethin' bout this castle under attack a good while ago. All over now, but people worry 'bout their safety ya know!' the said while he turned sideways and with his hand brushed the nose of one of the horses.

My eyes widened and my head turned as I tried to find Elmont's eyes.

But Elmont had heard the boy.

And we realised we all had made a big mistake.

* * *

Lady-of-Reecia: Oh yes, that does sound very comfortable too! I always wanted to sleep in a scarf or something, I always thought Addy more of a mug person. Hahaha! I'm actually beginning to like the idea of Elmont in the shower… It was a total accident on my behalf, I just randomly thought of it. I have a dirty mind apparently! Thanks for your kind messages!

**Cantate:** Glad you like it! They are both getting more and more used to each other. Thank you for your reviews!

**Addie:** Of course I am! Thank you for reading! I appreciate the appreciation! :)

**Rushes:** Thank you! No worries! I adjusted the words. I'm not a native speaker so I appreciate the feedback! Thank you dear! :)

**Miss Guest:** Haha! Thank you! I'm glad you don't mind I'm taking it slow. I enjoy writing and reading all the awkwardness! Muhahaha! I'm glad you think William is observant, that's exactly how I wanted him to be. He doesn't really care about Addy that much but he does care about his buddy Elmont… bromance is a beautiful thing! Addy's gradually growing up, making her more suitable~

**IrisGirl1402:** Thank you! Glad you like the story!

**SerendipityAEY:** Thank you! It was a bit too soon for cuddling, but not to worry! It will come soon! I will give them a lot of moments of happiness, I'm actually postponing the kiss because it would make more sense. I'll make it up to all of you! I promise! Perhaps with a shower or two~

**MidnightShadow:** Thank you for your response! I actually thought about that! He would be very uncomfortable! But that would cause a lot of nice moments for Elmont and Addy! I wonder if Elmont is a coffee or tea person… He is definitely a shower person… although I wouldn't object to him sitting in a bath~

**Evil behind the writer:** Oh yesss! Badass music with random stuff exploding and solo slow-motion and stuff! You're very welcome! Thanks for reading :)

**Sabi2:** Haha! Glad you like it! C-:

**Teddy bear 007:** Oh my! I sure like the sound of that! With cakes and tea and awkward moments! Love it!

**Theamazingwunderwoman:** ADSFLG! IKNOWRIGHT!? So much uncertainty!

**Pensandbooks:** hahaha! Me too! Thank you for reading C-:


	27. Bellham nights and days

**Hey guys! Bad news. I won't be updating weekly anymore. I'm realising it's taking a toll on my schoolwork and the quality of the chapters.**

**So it'll be longer than a week from now on. All I can say is that it won't take longer than 2 weeks!**

**Apologies and enjoy the chapter! It's getting hard to write Addy, she's so different from me! It's a struggle sometimes!**

* * *

For heaven's sake, we don't even know if it's true!' William laughed.

Apparently William really was the only one who questioned Elmont.

'I will not take the risk, soldier.'

I know he said 'Soldier', but it sounded more like 'Fucktard'.

William took a few steps towards Elmont, laughter still clear on his face 'Have you seen the people here? They are fools! Gone bonkers! ' he argued.

Elmont didn't seem to care and grabbed the reigns of his horse.

'Besides, I have my orders. Watch the prisoners.' William continued with a shrug.

'You will do no such thing any longer,' Elmont warned, 'I need the best men.'

William sighed and stared at Elmont.

'Then what say you, captain of the royal guard?' William finally answered 'What word to the men?'

Finally Elmont's eyes flashed to mine as if seeing me for the first time. I turned away to look at the stable-boy, still smiling a goofy smile.

'Prepare every man still fit to ride, we leave this instant.'

'Yes captain. Shall I show the lady to her room? She looks like death itself.'

I couldn't argue with him there.

Elmont's expression was enough to make William leave the stable. Making us the only people in that stupid wooden thing.

'I apologize. He's a hard man, his father used to beat him.'

'Good.' I mumbled.

I was looking at the floor so intently to stop myself from doing something stupid. I felt miserable. My hands felt cold and I bit my lip harshly to keep myself from screaming. Because of all this I completely missed the way Elmont stared at me.

After all.

I was still a girl.

And nothing in the world would ever convince him to take me with him.

Absolutely nothing.

Maybe I was trying to procrastinate. I really didn't want to ask him why he was breaking a promise right after he made it. Because I knew already.

'So, what are your thoughts on this ordeal?' I questioned,

_Just do not ask him about the promise._

_Do not ask him._

'Will you bring the prisoners with you?' I added quickly, finally looking up at Elmont.

_Good job Addy, nice and formal._

Elmont sighed patting his horse on the back 'Perhaps. That will depend entirely on how many men there will be left.'

'You're going with them then?' I asked, instantly regretting the words that fell from my lips.

_ARGH! Damnit Addy! What did I tell you!_

Elmont did not answer but it was enough.

I got the message.

I felt my entire aura changing. The content feeling from before evaporating, leaving a grey mass behind. A grey mass containing fear and uncertainty.

I almost laughed out loud when I knew we were back at square one. Barely understanding each other and not knowing what to say or do.

Actually I knew I shouldn't feel so let down. Of course I knew Elmont had to go! I actually understood him. A small group of the best men going to aid people in need with no captain did not make any sense to me. A promise with a girl would have to break for it. Understandably! I totally understood! I would've done the same.

And still it was a harder blow than I was actually braced for.

I was biting my lip again, tasting salt and iron.

It was so silent. I would've given anything to replace it with one of the uncomfortable ones from before.

Elmont sighed deeply before moving. It only took him 3 steps to stand right in front of me, if I reached out I could touch him. I mustered up the bravest smile I could and I was quite proud of it. I wasn't sure why.

Elmont looked determined but I could tell he was going to try to explain to me why he was going.

I really didn't want that to happen so I interrupted him the minute he said my name.

'No no! It's fine, don't you worry about it. It's r-really fine! I-I'll be alright!' I started 'Go on, see if everyone's okay for me.'

'I didn't mean-'

'I'm okay. J-just don't you worry about it!' I continued while tucking a piece of my hair behind my ears while cursing myself in my head. What was I hoping for? In fact, now that I thought about it, I was being more silly and childish than ever before.

'I… I'm just going eh… inside and I'll take care of Isabelle… And er… oh… I mean where is she right? I'll have to find her first!' I rambled while I was backing up towards the door, what on earth was I doing? 'Yes, I'll do that! A-and I'll wait until the coast is clear!'

When I realized he wasn't stopping me I still felt a chill creeping up my spine. I had opened the door and a strong smell and warm air wrapped around me. I was pausing. Perhaps because of the many merry men inside the inn, perhaps because I wanted Elmont to do something.

Did I want him to stop me? Probably. My breath had caught when I heard him.

'When do you prefer I bring you home?'

That sounded off… Maybe he was waiting for me to do something? What did he want me to do?

I opened my mouth but Elmont interrupted me, 'If you so much as think about answering with 'whenever you are ready', I'll do something awful.'

I quickly shut my mouth and turned back around, actually curious what he meant with 'something awful'.

'Did I do something?' I asked after a while 'Are you angry with me?'.

Elmont froze in his place while staring at me with a blank expression. After that he frowned, not looking angry but just pissed off. I really didn't know what to do or what to think. I'd have given anything to take a look inside his head for a minute, anything to understand him a little better.

It seemed to take a while before Elmont found the correct words. He was so close to me I felt uncomfortable once again.

'You should know a few very important things about me Addy.' he began while he stepped closer as I backed off. I suppressed a slight wave of panic, trying to make myself remember that he wouldn't hurt me.

'First of all, I dislike ambiguity. To be perfectly honest I prefer the word 'hate'. I hate indistinctness. Which explains my attitude towards this rumor.' He specified, a stern look on his face.

'Two, I'm not patient man. Perhaps you believe otherwise. I do not enjoy wasting time and dancing around something that needs to be done.' He continued, grabbing one of my hands.

'Lastly, I value honesty and truth. Your word is your bond. I believe it is all a person has. So you can take my word for it when I tell you I have no interest in leaving you somewhere I have second thoughts about.' He paused for a moment before continuing with a short smile 'So do not despair.'

Now he looked back at me.

'Does that explain my former question?' he asked, letting go of my hand when I pulled away.

For a second there, I had the feeling I was starting to understand how exactly Elmont worked. I could see the connections in front of me like some sort of spider web. And everything was all about being straight and good.

I guess I kind of missed that about him.

I took a step backwards toward the entrance of the inn.

Blushing heavily when I saw then stable boy smiling broadly at me as if he didn't care about the intimate conversation between us.

He opened the door for me and the warmth coming from inside called to me. Asking me to do something, anything. So I did. I stepped inside, turned around to face Elmont and said 'Tomorrow.'.

* * *

The rain drummed hard against your window, like fingers tapping. This inn was one of those places that had actual windows, I kind of missed them. You didn't see them around this place.

It was a small room but at least one hundred times as cozy as my room in that stupid castle.

My pillow was wet and more hot tears rolled off of my cheeks. Why was I crying? Because I couldn't keep it in. I usually deal with these things at the opportune moment and this was it.

Everything hit me at this one moment. The beanstalk, the family I left behind, my life in Cloister, Christian, the kidnapping, the threats, the almost rape, the escape, Isabelle…

I chuckled through my tears, not believing the scenario I was in. I was crumbling to pieces. Like a flan in a cupboard.

To think I was actually planning to get some sleep in this place. How on earth was I going to fall asleep when every time I closed my eyes…

The thunder outside snarled and cracked. The lightning lightened up the room in a flash, startling me.

I rubbed my eyes before I got up and lit a few candles. I'd have given anything for a few good books to read. Something to make me forget.

The thunder drowned out every other noise inside the inn, even though the night was quite young. When I sat on the edge of my bed I inspected my fingers, still dirty as ever. I couldn't take bath when I entered my room, I simply broke down.

There was a hesitant knock on my door before a small girl opened the door, holding a bowl of stew and bread. She was the inn-keepers daughter, she had a mop of platinum blonde hair that stood up in all directions, no older than 10.

I couldn't help but smile when she walked in and looked around to find somewhere to place the food.

'Do you want some?' I asked when she looked at the food carefully, but she shook her head.

'You sure?' I questioned again while raising an eyebrow.

'No thank you milady.' She replied in a small voice, hesitating a little before she looked back at the door.

I really loved the fact that children didn't make so much fuss about how people looked. So much different from grown-ups.

'Do you want to ask me something?' I asked while dipping a piece of bread in the stew.

The girl went to shake her head but paused, and I smiled.

'Is it true you are from here? They tell stories about how you climbed the beanstalk.' she asked uncertainly.

I swallowed the piece of bread as I thought of a way to answer. I chose for honesty.

'Not really, I did see the beanstalk though.' I admitted 'And the giants.'

The little girl opened and closed her mouth as if to say something, but no words came out.

'They are quite big you know.' I continued before I scrunched up my face 'And ugly.'

The girl smiled a little and started swaying awkwardly. She kind of reminded me of the girls in my neighborhood, very shy and very clever.

I turned to look outside the window at the streaks of rain. When the thunder rolled in I turned towards the girl but she didn't look scared. If anything at all she looked more relaxed.

'How tall?' she asked 'My father says that when you hear thunder the giants have jumped down from the skies. That's how tall they are.'

'Well,' I started stirring the cup of stew 'I believe that is a credible assumption. Are you not afraid?'

The little girl shook her head 'They say Jack scared them away so there are no longer any giants jumping from the skies.'

I frowned a little 'Then why do you hear thunder?'

The little girl snorted 'I don't know, you're supposed to know that!'

'Hmm… ' I mumbled while stroking my chin 'Maybe they're crying so loudly because they lost to Jack.' I said before whispering 'Or maybe they're farting too loud…'

The girl pulled a face 'They do that?'

I nodded with big eyes 'When they do trees fall over!'

That made her laugh, it was a very nice sound. It made me feel a little better.

Suddenly I heard a rumble from downstairs and the girl rushed to the door. Probably her father calling her.

'Wait!' I yelled and she stopped in her tracks and turned towards me.

'Princess Isabelle? Where is she? Is she alright?' I asked my eyes desperately searching hers.

The girl shrugged 'I think so, she got medicine a few hours ago. She's sleeping in the big room.'

'The big room?' I asked.

The girl nodded but started to move towards the door again 'One stair up and the last door to the left. Now I really have to go.'

I waved her off before she shut the door.

I left the stew on the small table since I lost my appetite a long while ago. I fell back into the mattress frowning at the wooden ceiling.

I must have dozed off some time after that, because she I awoke I noticed someone had lit the small fireplace and taken my plate.

My eyes had to adjust before I took all the blankets from the bed and wrapped them around me. After a few steps I was sitting in front of the small fireplace, bathing in the warmth it was radiating.

The heat seeped into my sleepy bones and made my eyes droopy.

And although this was the moment I felt more alone than ever, I still managed to fall into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

It was odd really, the world being sideways when I opened my eyes. My eyes twitched at the morning light and I groaned when I tried to sit up. I'm using the word tried here because it wasn't like I could actually do it. Because if I did try it my head started to hurt. It would be this 'eeee'-noise/pain which annoyed me down to hell. And when something annoys me, I move even more which would make my head hurt more and so on and so forth.

I was still wrapped inside my blankets like a caterpillar and almost fell asleep again before a voice brought me back.

'Have you been resting here all night?'

I groaned, covering my head in the blankets.

'It's morning Addy, get up.'

I groaned again while shaking my head. For my part I was gonna stay put until the earth swallowed me.

'Let me put it this way,' the voice started. I didn't miss the threat in it, that's for damn sure. 'If you do not detach yourself from those blankets and the floor within 3 second, I'll do it myself. Three. Two. O-'

I sighed, twitching when my head hurt as I sat up to look at Jack.

It was silent for a while with us just staring at each other.

'You're still dirty.' He said scoldingly.

I shrugged, I'd take a bath later.

'And you're not properly dressed.'

Shrug.

'Wait here.'

Shrug.

Jack disappeared from my room and returned after a while. Holding what appeared to be clothes.

'That a dress?' I asked, not really in the mood to wear one.

'Just put it on, I don't want you to get sick and give it to Isabelle.'

'Yes, yes.' I mumbled as I stretched out my arm and took the clothes. Inspecting them as I rolled them out.

'How is she anyway?' I inquired frowning at the big underwear that was included.

Jack didn't answer and stared at the floor which made me look up at him worryingly.

'She lost it?' I questioned, dropping the clothes onto the floor in front of me.

Jack raised his eyebrows before looking up at me, 'No. Not at all. However it was close. We thought she lost it.' He continued, inspecting the floor once again 'When we arrived last night… we… thought it was over. She was bleeding.'

'It's still early, it's not uncommon.' I replied trying to assure him. Jack simply smiled 'Yes, that's what the medic told us. But apparently the baby is just fine. And so is Isabelle, I've never seen her eat so much food as last night.'

Then of course I started to ramble. 'Perhaps it was a breakthrough bleeding. You know sometimes the normal menstrual cycle of a girl-'

'Alright, enough Addy. Please.' Jack interrupted looking very uncomfortable.

Pfff. Guys are all so iffy about that subject. No matter what century you're in.

'Anywho!' I said, trying to lighten the air around us 'Your love life has improved hasn't it?'

Jack frowned 'Says you.'

'What?' I exclaimed looking wildly at him 'Oh bloody hell, not this again.'

Jack grinned down at me sweetly 'Is there any other particular reason why you're so distant with the captain of the royal guard?'

'Jack,' I sputtered while I raised my eyebrows 'Dude.'

'What are your intentions towards our captain, milady?' Jack grinned.

I practically threw my hands into the air, not sure how he managed to change the game up that quickly 'Will you just- Seriously? Just Seriously? Seriously?!'

'So you do like him, I had a feeling.'

I pointedly avoided his stare. I was losing this game. How did this all escalate into a Spanish-drama series?

'I don't just-'

'Oh yes,' Jack said cheekily 'You hate him, I remember.'

'That's not what I said… Or mean! Of course I don't! I-' I stopped when I saw the look on Jack's face. 'I refuse to say another thing about this.'

'You started it.' Said Jack with a smile 'Keep tiptoeing around each other for my part. It's enjoyable to watch.'

I looked up at him dryly 'Away from the subject of Elmont and I hooking up, I believe you should have kept you snake inside your pants! You didn't just knock up a girl. You knocked up a princess.' I stressed. 'Do you know what they do to people like that?'

Jack purposely said nothing and kept smiling at me.

I let out a groan.

'You're never going to let it go are you… you're ne-' I blinked before I turned towards him 'You say nothing you hear me! Nothing! Tell him nothing!'

Jack laughed 'I knew it! Of course not, let's not worry him shall we?'

'God you're the wingman aren't you? Aren't people like you supposed to be sensitive and sharp?'

* * *

**Cantate:** Yeah, Addy's not doing very well. She'll understand soon enough that people actually do care about her. More new characters coming up! Thanks for the review sweetie! :)

**Guest:** Thank you! I'll update whenever I can!

**Guest:** Can they kiss already? No. Hahaha! Sorry love, not yet. I love the cottage idea! It'd be very cute! :) I promise I'll make them kiss soon enough dear!

**Guest:** oooh! I love long reviews! Thank you dear! I also believe the soldiers know what's going on. At least they know Ellie's got a soft spot for Addy. And I swear you guys already know the story plot sometimes… you know too much!

**Addie:** Wow, thank you love. That's a big compliment, I'm glad you like it so much!

**Pensandbooks:** Thank you! A big adventure is coming! I can promise you that! :)

**Miss Guest:** It's going down to funky town! I sure would have attacked Jon if I was Addy, but I believe Addy was just a bit confused and tired. She still is, it's not something you can recover from easily. I hope you don't get sick too! Everyone in my school is sick hahaha! Enjoy the chapter!

**Jedi Kay-Kenobi:** I'm glad you still enjoy the story! There probably were stirrings when riding a horse with Elmont, I'm sure I would have stirrings haha! I believe I read somewhere that people didn't really celebrate birthdays in the past, but I'm not entirely sure. I'm glad you got the hint about Elmont's birthday hahaha! I wasn't sure if anyone would notice! Thanks again!

**SerendipityAEY**: I promise! It'll happen! I believe I could have added a bit more description about both of them sitting on a horse, but I completely forgot. I'll save it for the next chapter hahaha! More awkward horse-riding!

**MoonCastersFlyingCircus**: Thank yooou! An ambush would have been nice now that I think about it… But nevertheless, the shit is hitting the fan anyway…

**Teddy bear 007**: good! I like waffles! Especially with ice-cream :) Let's do it!

**Moiniya21:** Not yeeet! Love takes time! :) Thanks for the review!

**midnightShadow07**: I thought about it for a while, and I believe there was no way Elmont was gonna enjoy a night with rumours going around. But no worry! He'll be back in the next chapter!


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